


Shackled Dissimulation

by auspizien



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BDSM fic, D/s relationship, Dark fic, Dom!Zoro, Heavy BDSM, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder Mystery Fic, S&M, graphic depictions of murder and death, masochist!Sanji, mentions of necrophilia(not main pairing), sadist!Zoro, sub!Sanji
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-24
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-02-22 10:14:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 221,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2504156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auspizien/pseuds/auspizien
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn't about the pain, or even the pleasure. It was the trust. The ability to hand his body completely over to another, let them own it, and know despite what could happen; his trust was strong enough to let them do it. For Sanji Black this was the epitome of sexual arousal, but working as a weary Apple Tech Support hardly gave him the opportunity to find an interesting psychological match. When a last ditch attempt on an online dating sight brings into light the smart, punk-haired Physiotherapist, Zoro Roronoa, he finds that he gets a little more than he bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Looking for a Dom

**Author's Note:**

> There is main character death in this fic, but not from the main pairing.

Sanji remembered the first moment he had experienced a loss of control. The first moment in his early life when every iota of ability to control his own life had been snatched away and replaced with nothing but fear and the stark reality that he was completely helpless. A full loss of governance over himself when all he had been able to do was sit in paralysed shock while the world had kicked him down and made him taste dirt.

 

Sitting in the passenger’s seat he could barely see over the dash, while the overly large seat belt that buckled him in cut  into his little cheek. Glaring angrily at the glove box that was level with his eye sight, he ignored the normally soothing gravelly grumble of his father's voice berating him for his conduct on the way home from school after having been sent to the Principal's office for bad behaviour.

 

It was early but it was already an unsettling black outside from the over cast clouds and the rain that was hammering down upon the city below.  Large droplets pattered on the front windshield as he turned his attention upward to watch the aggressive back and forth swiping motion of the wipers that cleared away the water for his father to see the road ahead.  The normal squeak that could be heard from the ageing wipers went unheard over the racket of the rain and thunder overhead.

 

As they had begun to cross the bridge Sanji remembered the exact moment where he first experienced the twisting loss of control that had left him breathless. The smallest of jerks as the tires underneath the vehicle no longer maintained their current rotational direction and the muscle seizing sensation of hydroplaning took place.  Tires gliding effortlessly across the asphalt underneath them as everything floated in a moment of surreal confusion.

 

And then the moment passed and his father swore aggressively, hands taking a white knuckled grip on the wheel as he had slammed a foot to the brakes; desperately trying to take control of the car.  As the floating sensation ceased and was replaced by the jerking of the vehicle Sanji felt the fear settle in as the automotive careened from their lane and directly across the other, his father unable to control the drifting car.

 

Fear and shock had left Sanji frozen in his seat, unable to see anything past the dash and not entirely knowing what his father was doing with the car.  Sanji was rendered thoughtless in his terror as the headlights illuminated the grating of the bridge and, a second later, the terrible screeching as the car ripped through the useless barrier and they went tumbling over the edge.

 

Once more he had felt that weightlessness akin to  the hydroplaning tires:  a complete loss of control over himself and the events happening around him.  Eyes widening as the headlights illuminated the vast black expanse of water beneath them, growing closer and closer with each passing second.  Everything within him was quitting on him; his voice wouldn't force out a scream, his ears couldn't hear a single thing around him, and his lungs were refusing to draw in air.  A second later the front of the car collided with the freezing water and he was whip lashed forward, too-large seat belt causing him to slam his forehead into the dash as everything became black.

 

After that everything had become a hazy blur as he had woken up in the hospital with doctors referring to him by the wrong name and continually poking and prodding him with needles.  A cast had been put on his leg and several bandages were squeezed tightly around his injured head.  For the longest time he was kept in the dark, asking for his father, wanting to know what had happened; only to be ignored by the adults. 

 

Eventually a nurse had explained to him that his father had drowned in the car – leg broken and jammed under the dash – that the window on his side of the car was broken from where his father must have pushed him out of the sinking car, and that a passing vehicle had seen the whole thing and found him at the edge of the river unconscious. But most of that  hadn't entered his thoughts, not with the words of his father’s death resounding in his ears.

 

The years afterwards were spent in various foster homes and orphanages as Sanji slowly became obsessed with the concept of control.  Nothing in his life had terrified him more than dealing with that one moment of uncontrolled disaster.  That single moment where the world had been at the reigns, and the result had been his father’s death.  It had addicted him to the need to control everything within himself and his life.

 

The second time Sanji had experienced a loss of control it had been drastically different from the first time.  After years of forcibly controlling his life, and others along with it, he had been completely unsuspecting of the reaction he would have had to being controlled by someone else.

 

She had been gorgeous. Long, wavy, caramel locks of hair that hung down to her curvaceous hips and fell tantalizingly into her sharp eyes.  Always donning a stark lipstick so the two most vivid things that stood out within Sanji's memory were a pair of blood red lips and the sharp sting of control she had bitten his back with. A sting that was reminiscent of the whiplash to his neck in the car, and yet so much more invigorating.

 

Sadi.

 

At first the relationship had been innocent; coffee dates in downtown Seattle cafes, and nights at the movies where she would rest her head coyly on his shoulder. It was such a wholesome time until she had whispered in his ear one night that she wanted to try something different. A moment later he had been cuffed to the foot board of the bed, kneeling on the plush carpet of her bedroom as a whip had been cracked across his back.

 

And there had been that weightlessness again.  The exact same sensation that had left him breathless in fear in the passenger seat of the car had had him breathless in arousal as he gasped with each stinging slice from the whip; splitting the skin on his back with a vengeance as he had gasped and rocked up into the next abusive hit.

 

A lifetime of controlling himself, controlling others, keeping everything in his life so goddamned perfect, and now he found himself forced to his knees as every last bit of the control in his life was snatched away and placed in this woman's hands.  It was only him and her, and the last thing that Sanji had in this world was his trust in her.

 

And he revelled in it.

 

It wasn't about the pain, or even the pleasure.  It was the trust.  The ability to hand his body completely over to another, let them own it, and know despite what could happen; his trust was strong enough to let them do it.  It had never been like that in the car – life had held his trust and crushed it in its dark hands – but here, with another person, they held his trust and cradled it like the precious object that it was.

 

That relationship had ended like relationships do, but it hadn't stopped Sanji from becoming addicted to the loss of control that he was able to attain.  Out of the numerous men and women that he had eventually dated since, he had managed to find a few curious ones that had given his need for submission a try, though many  ended uneventfully.  Most often claimed  that they just weren't into that kind of thing, and that they weren't comfortable controlling and owning Sanji like he so desperately craved .

 

After countless failed relationships, and desperate attempts at online dating, Sanji had finally given in to the inevitable knowledge that it was a lot harder finding  the type of relationship that he wanted.  It wasn't that he wasn't a good and loyal partner, but most of his relationships had ended with his partner either weirded out or fairly scandalized.  It just seemed that his particular sexual lifestyle didn't mesh well with an everyday normal relationship.

 

So that was why he currently sat at his work desk quietly, chin propped in the heel of his hand as the palm covered his mouth while fingers drummed thoughtfully across his cheek.  The rhythmic thrumming of his digits was completely washed out by the small clicking of the mouse as he scrolled down over the profile he was currently creating; double checking all of his grammar as well as the accuracy of the information he was going to be displaying.

 

After his most recent failed relationship with a blue haired vixen , his  friend had urged him to look up a chat room or a dating site online that catered to his needs.  At first he had been weary of the idea, but it had eventually grown on him as he had quietly admitted to himself that he was practically out of options. At  the very least he might get a fun romp out of the whole experience.

 

But as he scanned his computer screen he wasn't quite sure if he was actually concerned with the quality of his profile or if he was just stalling to post it; he would like to think it was the former, but the small fluttering of butterflies in his stomach told him otherwise.  It wasn't that he was nervous putting this kind of scandalous information out there for other people to read at a whim – he had done online dating a lot recently – but it was mostly because from the small amount that he had seen on the site, there wasn't the most modest of people.

 

The website he was current on was labelled,'Gagged on the Grand Line'  and, as awkward as it sounded, it was the best recommended site out there.  It was a horribly raunchy dating site with the sole purpose of catering to the kinkier and darker side of the internet; but Sanji was still mortified by the fact that he was even considering it.  However he remembered the insistence  of his friend to just give it a try, and it urged him to click the button to upload his completed profile.

 

Part of him still couldn't believe he had taken the advice of his colleague and gone searching for websites like this.  Yet here he was, advertising his incredibly raunchy kinks for the world to see in hopes of maybe getting a Dom that might actually know what he was doing[R1] .  It was embarrassing, degrading, and most of all, mortifying.[

 

Hands once more shaking above the keys of his laptop he mulled over what exactly to set as his first post request to get responses from people.  He didn't want anything cliché that would just get drowned out by the rest of the posts, but he didn't want something that would attractive an abhorrent amount of attention either.  Chewing on his bottom lip absently he began writing out his quick little request.

 

**Subject: Looking for a Dom**

 

The cursor blinked tauntingly in the text box as he wondered exactly what he was supposed to say afterwards; he had seen a few other posts made by other people and they were incredibly well done.  They had the lingo and jargon down to a tee and used words and phrases that Sanji hadn't even known existed in relation  to the subject of domination and submission.  It was clear that most of the other people knew the slang for what and who they were looking for, and though Sanji had some experience in the area, it still made him feel horribly inexperienced by comparison.

 

Letting out a small sigh he let his abused lip fall from his teeth as he decided honesty was probably the best way to go when dealing with this sort of thing.  Despite having dabbled in a bit of everything, he was still pretty new to whole BDSM relationship aspect.  It would be better to start slow and learn, than to throw himself headlong into something he wasn't prepared for and get hurt.

 

**I'm fairly new to the whole Dom/Sub thing, but have been in a few tame BDSM relationships to date.  I am up for mostly anything, I just need help getting started in this whole thing. Put me in my place, so to speak.**

 

**SanJi_zz**

 

Once more neurotically rereading the whole text he nodded with finality at the simple, little explanation; feeling that it about summed up everything.  Fighting off the butterflies once more, he clicked the luminescent post button and watched as the screen refreshed itself and his post was now visible among the newest ads and requests.  With a final breath of reassurance that he wasn't doing something completely insane, he shut his laptop off and headed to bed.

 

~X~

 

Sanji scrolled casually through all of the replies that he had gotten, trying to fight down the light flush of torridly combined awkwardness, embarrassment and arousal that came from reading some of the messages; most of which just consisted of horny men with terrible grammar asking for his number and address, while others were a bit more polite but still immediately requesting whether or not he 'liked it hard'.

 

While  Sanji had assumed that this site would only garner people of this variety, he was a little disappointed in the selection.  Physically all the men in their profile pics were gorgeous, some of them Sanji would even consider, but it was lacking in the psychological element that Sanji was really craving.  He didn't want just some mindless fuck from a guy that liked to be a rough, immature top; he wanted the adrenal excitement that could only come from psychological and sexual war-play.

 

Picking up his mug of morning coffee he leaned back a little further in his swivel chair as he continued to scroll through all the replies.  Truthfully he was a  little surprised that after only one night he had already so many responses and people trying to get into his pants when they hardly knew him.  Though that just seemed to be how the depravity of the internet worked; people were much more open to showing their desperate nature when hidden behind a screen.

 

Pausing in his continual scrolling he sat up somewhat, gently setting his mug aside as he eyed one message that caught his attention.  The man's profile pic that had replied to his message wasn't the easiest to identify when scaled down so much, but a dark tan and bright green hair was discernible and had Sanji raising an eyebrow.  It was certainly a different look from all the other blond and black haired men on the site .  The other thing that caught Sanji's interest was the fact that the man's subject line wasn't the least bit naughty and only read,

 

**Savate?**

 

It was a martial art Sanji was well learned in, but couldn't for the life of him fathom why the man was bringing it up.  Sitting  up, he contemplated clicking on the message, not entirely sure if he was ready to devote himself to digging through his messages to try and find a good candidate. However a swift look down the list only reminded him of the lecherous comments he’d received thus far and he glanced back up at the seemingly innocent message.  Curiosity hitting its peak he clicked on the message link and it opened up a new window which displayed a single, harmless line;

 

**What martial art are you doing in your profile picture?**

 

It was somewhat refreshing to have someone on this site message him a question about himself and not about how he liked to get fucked.  Though considering it was in reply to his Dom message, it was a bit of an odd question to receive .  Sanji vaguely wondered if it was just spam or maybe the guy was an idiot and just got lost  trying to find the private message button.

 

Needless to say, Sanji's interest was sparked as the man clearly had an obvious allure to the martial arts.  The fact that the man was able to pick out the exact martial art he was performing from a single still photo was impressive [R1] in and of itself, not to mention that he seemed to be trying to start a conversation with Sanji over it.  This was definitely a much more decent way of trying to talk to Sanji than simply asking what his favourite position was.

 

Fingers hovering over the keys for a moment he waved them back and forth thoughtfully as he debated how to reply to the man.  Rereading the text, he smirked and lowered his fingers to the keyboard as he began furiously typing a response.  It wasn't exactly the reply he had wanted from his earlier post, but none of the others were sparking any interest and hell, maybe he could at least get an interesting conversation out of the man.

 

Keys clicking away underneath his dexterous fingers he wrote back,

 

**Spot on. But it was for a Capoeira tournament.**

 

Reading over the message for a moment as he assessed his answer to be informative enough he quickly added on,

 

**Why do you ask?**

 

A question tagged on to the end would hopefully make the man reply, simply giving information might make the man just turn away; but an enquiry from Sanji's end might make the man continue talking to him.  A little green dot was visible beside the man's profile picture which meant the man was still online and Sanji might even get a reply before needing to head to work.

 

As soon as the completed message popped up Sanji once more scooped up his coffee as he placed his hand over his mouse, absently dragging the arrow over to the man's username –  **roronoa3** – clicking on it and taking him to the man's profile page.  As the page loaded Sanji took a casual sip from his coffee.  It wasn't like he was getting his hopes up too high  for this conversation, but the least he wanted to check out was who the man he was talking to even looked like.

 

The page finished loading, swiftly popping up the large profile picture of the man in the upper left corner as the rest was emblazoned with other info that the man had posted about himself. Yet all  interest in reading the man’s profile went flying out the window as Sanji's eyes widened at the picture of the man  that he had just chosen to reply to.

 

Sanji was just glad he had swallowed his sip of coffee because the likelihood that he would have coughed it up over his laptop was extremely high .  The man's picture was properly  sized on his profile page and was an unbelievably interesting combo of adorable and extremely erotic – which the scaled down avatar in the chat box did no justice to.

 

Body partially facing to the side as the shirtless man held a poised barbell, bicep bulging as he hefted the fifty plus weight with one hand.  Natural bronzed skin was shining with sweat as it was pulled taut over every inch of the man's visible upper torso, and   Sanji vaguely wondered how often the man worked out to get defined shoulders like that. But for all the seriousness of the workout the man was glancing at the camera with an adorable look of shock.

 

Head cocked to the side with an eyebrow raised in curiosity as his eyes were slightly wide in his confusion.  Clearly he had been caught off guard when the photo was taken, but it just made it seem that much more legitimate.  The man obviously didn't seem in the habit of taking photos of himself, but regardless he  was extremely photogenic.

 

Eyes drifting back to the man's body he tried to not be superficial and judge the man on how he physically looked, but Sanji couldn't help but drool at the sight of the tanned Greek god that had chosen to talk to him.  Pronounced pectorals, rigid abdominals, bulging biceps and impressive lats ; Sanji was already picturing what it would feel like to be pinned down by a man like him.

 

Probably not the best time to start fantasizing since he would have to run to work in a few minutes, but he couldn't stop his playful imagination from picturing some of the fantastic things the man could do.  With upper body strength like that, fucking while standing was probably easy for him. Brows furrowing as he let his eyes fall shut he quietly berated himself for the fact that he was getting turned on from a single photo...

 

A beep resounding from his computer had his eyes snapping open as a message had appeared on his screen from  **roronoa3**  and it took Sanji only a moment to realize it was from the gorgeous man he was currently ogling.  The writing was casual, yet written with proper care taken to his punctuation and grammar , something that Sanji immediately picked up on happily.

 

**That's cool. I've competed in a few tournaments myself; for Muay Thai. And I have my reasons.**

 

Sanji couldn't help but smile to himself.  At first he had admittedly been weary with dealing with people on this website – mostly because he hadn't exactly been expecting a high calibre of selection.  But his shallow side was more than ecstatic to reply to the Adonis currently on the other side of the computer chatting to him.  Not to mention he seemed to have found someone who  actually had as much of an interest in martial arts as Sanji himself did.  Good looking, able to talk better than a Neanderthal  and could catch Sanji's attention in a conversation.  Needless to say the man was already getting points in Sanji's book.

 

**Muay Thai, huh? Cool. Nationals or just local? And you gonna tell me your 'reasons'?**

 

A few more moments passed before the man replied,

 

**Naw. Mostly just for fun. And no real reason, I just like having a partner that can take me in a fight. You seem to know what you're doing.**

 

That had Sanji raising an inquisitive brow and caused the  spike in interest  towards the man to rise within him.  He'd been expecting this kind of attitude from the site from the very beginning, but it was interesting to see the man making an active effort to flirt with him instead of just outright asking if he wanted to fuck. That and the way the man was going about it had Sanji's curiosity peaking as the oddly sexual prospect of a fight which seemed like such a different and yet arousing form  of foreplay.

 

A playful smirk quirked Sanji's lip as he decided to play along with the man's little game for the moment.  It could be fun to see just how far he could carry this conversation before either backed down.  Sanji replied with his own snarky comment.

 

**That sounds kind of dirty ;P So, that's the real reason you messaged me? Lol**

 

It took a few moments before the man's reply popped up and Sanji could practically hear the playful taunting in the man's voice.

 

**Maybe... :p But you look kind of scrawny, you might not be a challenge...**

 

The obvious teasing wasn't to be taken seriously, but Sanji replied indignantly regardless, if the man was seriously looking for a fight Sanji might not be so uninclined to give him one.

 

**Scrawny?! Don't underestimate me, shithead; I could probably kick your ass.**

 

A very short pause before the man's reply popped up in the chat box,

 

**You wanna try? ;)**

 

That had Sanji pausing in his reply.  Was he really considering meeting with this man after only a small conversation?  Sanji was hardly scared of meeting people from online websites, but he was a little taken aback by how fast this was proceeding.  Before he could even begin to think of how to give a reply that wouldn't turn the guy off another message from the man popped up.

 

**Not that I want you to think I'm pressuring you; you can totally tell me to piss off if you're not interested...**

 

The simple, humbled message had Sanji letting out a small snort of appreciation as he skeptically realized the man seemed to actually be somewhat decent.  He was the first man on this website to not only spark his interest, but actually seemed to be aware of the fact the fact that Sanji was a human, and was treating him as such.

 

Though it had Sanji pausing as he contemplated continuing to playfully respond to the man.  Indeed he had signed up to this site to find someone to start a carnal sexual relationship with , but part of him hadn't been expecting to start talking with someone so soon.  He'd been optimistic enough to expect a few messages and to casually think about whom he would reply to over the course of a few days; but he hadn't been prepared to be propositioned on the first day.

 

Thumb fidgeting with the space bar Sanji wondered if he should quit the site for the moment and just do as he had originally planned with thinking over whom he wanted to reply to.  Though that had immediately reminded Sanji of the copious amount of depraved messages sent to him; and he wondered if he'd even find someone else worth replying to.  What if he'd lose this stellar opportunity with a man whom was not only interested, but also fairly competent ...

 

Sanji's eyes flickered to the profile picture partially hidden beneath the pop up chat box as he assessed that slightly adorable face that the flirtatious words were being sent from.  He was still caught between the indecision of whether or not to confirm to the man if he was interested.  Though, if anything, it couldn't hurt to give it a try, not to mention that the guy seemed to have an air of confidence in the subject and yet seemed very patient at the same time.  Already after a few minutes of chatting with this man the idea of giving the whole thing a try was very appealing.

 

Humming quietly to himself in thought he finally huffed as he decided that it was best not to pass up a clearly good opportunity.  Giving in, Sanji decided to go along with it; it couldn't hurt to chat and meet up with the guy.  If it didn't work out or wasn't as satisfying as Sanji was expecting it to be he could just come back to the site and pick another from the long list of candidates that had message him.

 

**No, I'm up for it. Not exactly what I was expecting from a BDSM website, but this is definitely interesting. TBH I'm just kind of new to the whole thing...**

 

Part of Sanji was horrified at admitting such sexual inexperience to the man.  Besides his technological craftsmanship, it was the one other area of his life that he liked to believe he had a fairly strong foundation in.  He had long boasted about his sexual conquests and experiences (only when severely drunk though, as he could never speak so crassly about any of his lovely ladies), he was now choking down his dignity as he full on admitted to the man how lame he was.

 

The man had obviously read Sanji's post, but it didn't stop the blond from being thoroughly humiliated by discussing his lack of experience with the guy.  Even if he had expressed interest, it wouldn't mean that the man wouldn't change his mind at the notion of dealing with a completely virgin Sub.

 

As Sanji mulled over his embarrassment, the chat window lit up with the man's reply as his username flickered between green and white to alert Sanji to the message.  Eventually the flashing stopped as Sanji read out the reassuring message that was making Sanji's insides light up in ridiculous excitement.

 

**Well, you have to start somewhere. ;)**

 

Sanji smirked lightly at the man's coddling behaviour before replying,

 

**And where exactly would 'somewhere' be. You offering?**

 

Another few moments before the man replied and he could clearly tell the man had been chuckling to himself while writing the message.

 

**Haha. Well, that depends on if you're accepting? Are you just looking for a fight, or am I the lucky recipient of your post?**

 

Letting out a breath of relief, he assured himself that what he was doing was a good idea before he grinned down at his keyboard as he replied,

 

**If I say yes to both?**

 

The man's reply was instantaneous.

 

**I'd probably wonder how I got so lucky.**

 

Sanji couldn't help his grin from growing, the light playful banter with this man was entertaining and fun as he began to realize he really enjoyed conversing with the man.

 

**Oh, Mr. Smooth Talker over here. So, do you just want to message for a while? Or do you usually get right to the fighting?**

 

The way the man talked spoke of a certain attitude and Sanji could almost sense the aloof shrug that man was most likely giving while typing the words, though while clearly hiding his more sensitive side by trying to go for a detached mien.

 

**Up to you. If you wanna just text and cam for a while; then I'm cool with it.**

 

As Sanji began typing up his response he let out a small chuckle of disbelief, hardly able to believe that he had already agreed to a relationship with someone on the website.  Not that he had been expecting to do anything else, but it had definitely risen above his expectations for the people he had been planning on finding on here.

 

**Alright. And thanks, you've--**

 

Pausing in his typing he debated adding on the sentence he had been about to write, before shrugging to himself and finishing it up.

 

**\--actually been really awesome about this whole thing. I'll admit I didn't have high expectations for the site.**

 

A small pause before  **roronoa3** replied,

 

**Not every person on the internet is a pervert.**

 

Chuckling, Sanji swiftly tapped out,

 

**I've yet to be proven otherwise ;P**

 

Sanji could practically here the drawling tone in the man's voice in his typed reply,

 

**Says the guy on a kink website.**

 

Chuckling to himself as he took a small sip from his coffee he noted the cold temperature to the liquid and frowned in confusion before his eyes flickered to the time in the corner of his laptop.  He  nearly spilled his cold drink in his shock.  He hadn't realized so much time had passed!.  He’d intended to read a few replies, respond to a few, and then head to work.  How in the hell had he managed to not notice thirty minutes pass him by?!

 

**Shit, sorry! I just realized I'm late for work; I have to ditch! I assume you'll be on later?**

 

Only a moment passed before a reply popped up in the chat window,

 

**Course. But I'm the one that should be apologizing for keeping you...Though I do have a quick question.**

 

Typing the reply with one hand he quickly chugged back the remnants of his ice cold coffee.

 

**Shoot.**

 

Already standing from his chair and pulling off his sleep shirt, he catalogued how many steps he could skip in his morning routine so he would be able to get to work on time.  Shower was a no go, but if he dressed fast enough he'd have time to brush his teeth and make a bagel before fleeing.  As Sanji was already mentally picking out his clothes for the day roronoa3's reply popped up.

 

**I'm sure you got a ton of replies; why'd you reply to me?**

 

The question had Sanji pausing for a moment as he mulled over exactly what had him replying to the man in the first place, it certainly hadn't been the opportunity of sex.  Curiosity perhaps?  Maybe even a little bit of lust for conversation?  But with a smirk he realized the exactly why the man had caught his attention and typed out swiftly,

 

**You're the first person that made it interesting.**

 

~X~

 

Sanji could hardly focus at work as he leaned behind the till of the Apple store at Grand Line Mall, brain buzzing with the odd excitement of potentially finding a partner that could –possibly – fulfil his needs.  New relationships had always gotten him excited, but there was something about this one that was getting him riled up.  It could possibly be the fact that this was the first relationship Sanji would have started solely for the purpose of dealing with the craving he'd been trying to feed ever since Sadi had given him a taste.

 

It was an odd sort of way to go about a relationship (which was one of the initial reasons Sanji had been so hesitant to go on the website in the first place.)  Most of his past partners had started out as friends, or emotional relationships before the sex had been involved.  Now he was trying it the other way around – and though new and a little scary  – it was exciting and interesting.

 

Though he still knew absolutely nothing about the man aside from what he looked like – though that in and of itself was a perfectly fine winning factor at this point – he also seemed to have a somewhat decent personality.  Not to mention he had green fucking hair ... There was also the fact that man seemed at least patient as he had been completely unfazed by Sanji's lack of experience and request to go slow.

 

It only made Sanji more interested in the adventure of getting to know the man, not to mention everything that would eventually happen. Though that did drag forth the question of how exactly a master/slave relationship like theirs would work... Would he want an actual relationship out of this;  or would it be strictly see-each-other-only-for-sex based?  Where would they even begin to start; at his place or Sanji's?  What was Sanji supposed to do or say?

 

The questions were rattling inside his head like a wooden shack in a hurricane, as he realized more and more that he really had no clue what he was supposed to do in this sort of situation .  It was also very apparent that he couldn't simply follow the advice of all the pornography he had watched over the years, because it never turned out to be how those sexual actors made it seem. Despite  all this worry over the relationship, the man, or even himself; at the forefront of his mind was that tiny dirty voice prodding him with lecherous thoughts of what was to come regardless...

 

“Oi Sanji!” Ace called out, dragging him from his perverted daze as he glanced over at the black haired man at the other end of the till.  Gesturing to customer that he had just been conversing with he added, “A Mr. Galdino is here to pick his Laptop you repaired.”

 

That had Sanji perking up immediately as he glanced up to see the grossly slicked back hair of the man making his way over to Sanji's end of the counter. Pompous expression adorning the smug face as his impeccable white slacks counteracted the marred personality Sanji knew the man to be hiding.  Stopping in front of Sanji the man puffed out his chest with an expectant look before giving a rude little eyebrow rise to clearly ask why Sanji hadn't already sprung into motion to help him.

 

Allowing himself a tiny moment to imagine ripping off the man's blue stripped vest and strangling him with it, he forced all brutal thoughts to the back of his mind as he gave the customer a charming smile and thought of how satisfying  it would be to wipe that grandiose look from his face in the next few minutes.

 

“I'll just go grab it from the back.” Sanji simpered with a sugary false smile that he forced himself to wear when dealing with customers.  As he began to make his way to the back storage room he discarded his previous jittery excitement over his online life as he settled into his usual comfort zone of scamming the general public.

 

Once in the back room he very casually walked down the shelving units, pulling out his phone and swiftly inserting a hot-wired SIM replacement chip into the small port.  The little device acted as a completely new SIM card leaving Sanji's account free, as well as scrambling the IP address so that nothing sent from the device could be traced. Allowing for it to quickly upload on his phone, he began locating Mr. Galdino's laptop.

 

When he had been young and been tossed through the foster system he had learned a lot of valuable life lessons and skills, but the most important one had been that everyone had a price.  No matter how rich or poor, every person on the planet had a price that they would pay to keep their secrets kept as they were.  Sanji had quickly taken advantage of this knowledge and learned to exploit it.

 

There had been the teacher in his fifth year of grade school that he had managed to catch sleeping with the secretary; the cost of keeping it a secret from her husband had been perfect grades for him and a small payment of one hundred dollars.  At the time hadn't realized that the amount of money he had gotten could have been pushed drastically higher.  It didn't take long for him to figure out how to find the limit of most people's allowances.

 

Afterwards it had become an almost casual side job in his life; extorting money  from his high school principal after finding out that the man had been syphoning money from the school's art budget into his own pocket, keeping the scandalous affair between several students secret from each other, and blackmailing one of his foster father's from keeping his adultery a secret from his foster mother.  In the end Sanji had realized that as petty as people were, instead of ignoring their transgressions; he could turn a profit.

 

When he had begun working as a technician for Apple he had learned right away the awkwardness of finding stashes of pornography on laptops given to him to be cleaned.  And it hadn't been long before he had found another way to exploit the most basic of human traits; their incessant need to lie.

 

As safe as they thought they were, it took very little hacking into their accounts and pass-word saved websites to learn their darker secrets.  Some people were clean and had nothing of significance besides the odd cat fetish, or the occasional woman that had a million photos of cats on her hard drive and nothing else.  But every couple of weeks Sanji got his hands on some precious goods, such as Mr. Galdino's laptop, that conveniently saved the pass-code to his email and had allowed Sanji to go snooping.

 

Once Sanji had the information it was a simple task of using it to extort money from the sore sucker.

 

Leaning lazily against the opposite shelving to the man's repaired laptop, he opened a pre-made App that connected directly to the new Sim card, inspecting over the refurbished computer one final time as his phone finished booting up the application.  A screen eventually popped open showing a simple list of options to be selected.

 

Thumb sliding down the convenient touch screen he gazed over the pre-made options that he had created for himself and the current situation.  Each one was a simple little bubble of assorted colours with their situational word scribbled inside to make the App seem as innocent as possible. Finally finding the proper selection he grazed his thumb across the pad as he selected the button labelled 'CHEATER', noting that the new screen popped up with a little duck  flapping its wings as the word 'SENDING' blinked underneath happily.

 

Pocketing his phone with a smirk Sanji grabbed the newly cleaned laptop and made his way back out to the front of the store.  Pushing aside the curtain that hid the storage room from view, Sanji made his way behind the large desk and over to where the client was waiting.

 

“Sorry for the wait.” Sanji forced through a grin, even as Galdino seemed none too pleased with having to wait for more than a couple minutes.  As he opened up the laptop and swivelled it around for the grumpy client to inspect, Sanji wondered why he put up with the retail business, the people were terrible.

 

“Completely cleaned.” Sanji explained happily, “New updated anti-virus software along with a new screen.  She should be able to keep running for another two years at least.”

 

“Hmph. I should hope so.” Galdino grunted unappreciatively, but it only made Sanji smile wider as the notion that the man's attitude would be getting a swift kick in the ass in exactly three, two, one…

 

Bingo.

 

The man's phone began beeping innocently to alert him of a text, though it clearly shocked the man as he glance around himself in confusion before finally down at his pants pocket.

 

“Ah, I'm sorry.” Mr. Galdino flustered, hands already patting down his pockets to locate the quietly beeping phone, “Swear I set it to vibrate...”

 

“It's all good.” Sanji mused with a grin , eyeing the man with a smug smirk as he pulled the phone from his pocket and fiddled with it.  First managing to stop the infernal beeping, then getting his messages open, and Sanji watched with internal glee as the man's face went from neutral to a myriad of angry emotions, before settling on disbelief as he read the message that Sanji knew all too well was written on the screen.

 

**Subject: You Cheating Bastard**

 

**That's right. I'm well aware of your misdeeds and sexual scandals; you really need to set a better password on your Gmail account. I've copied all of your replied and forwarded emails between you and a 'Ms. Valentine'. I've also updated a wirelessly activated virus into your computer that will send all of your emails and proof of your scandal to your wife. Unless you co-operate.**

 

Sanji for his part remained impassive, schooling his features as calmly as possible  as the man looked up from his phone at Sanji with a complete look of confused disbelief.  Without giving anything away Sanji allowed for the tiniest of smirks to crook the corner of his lips before nodding back down at the phone and murmuring, “You got another text.”

 

And right on cue, the phone beeped once more announcing a new message having been sent to the man,

 

**A simple payment of $100,000 dollars will be the cost of your secrecy.**

 

Sanji had figured out a long time ago that the amount of money he requested could be greatly stretched when dealing with certain types of people. Mr. Galdino was the perfect example of a man to milk, not only because of his somewhat broad bank account, but because of the current standing he had with his wife.  Most people would rather shell out the money than risk going through something as expensive and heavy as a lawsuit and a divorce.

 

“You can't be serious?!” Galdino hissed angrily, keeping his voice low so as not to attract attention.  Sanji only gave a charming smile in reply as the phone beeped right on cue.

 

**Yes, I am.**

 

By this point Mr. Galdino was a lovely combination of flushed puce and scarlet as he seemed downright furious with Sanji's audacity.  It was a look Sanji was well accustomed to; everyone always started out furious and indignant when they had realized that they had been caught in the act.  It eventually escalated into hysterical fury when they tried to channel their anger at being exposed toward Sanji for trying to blackmail them.  Always the same reaction, and it had Sanji smiling wide every time as he enjoyed the simplistic predictability of humans.

 

“You can't black mail me!” Galdino spat angrily, though still keeping his voice hushed so as not to draw attention to himself, “I'll call the poli--”

 

Another beep.

 

**Don't bother with the cops. Don't think you can weasel out of this. You either pay me now, or I expose you for the adulterating asshole you are.**

 

Galdino's eyes widened from the message, obviously starting to see the seriousness of the matter as he jerkily looked back up at Sanji with an enraged scowl.  First the anger, then the small hint of helplessness, which eventually leads to frantic denial.  Teeth gritted as he leaned over the counter he quickly hissed a livid threat, “I will sue you!”

 

Sanji remained stoic, only blinking innocently so that the surrounding cameras would only detect an angry customer and patient Tech Support dealing with the man.  Though Sanji did allow a little smile to flit across his lips as he remained eye locked with the man as his phone once more rung with an infernal beep.

 

**Pointless. You have nothing on me; these texts are sent from a non-IP addressed source. They are cued to delete the moment after you finish reading them. You will have no evidence that this conversation even transpired.**

 

This text seemed to confuse the somewhat dumb man, but he nonetheless seemed to get the gist of it as his eyes widened further upon realizing all the former texts he had received were already wiped clean from his phone.  Barely another moment had passed before the following text was sent.

 

**A final warning. I will know if you breathe a word of this. Talk to anyone, and your wife instantly learns everything. Now, are we going to co-operate? Or will your wife be getting an extremely interesting email?**

 

After a moment of pathetic floundering the man seemed to finally come to the conclusion he had nowhere left to turn to as he finally embraced the blond with a look of defeat.  Numbly thumbing at the phone in his hands he muttered quietly, “What do I have to do?”

 

A small beep.

 

**Play your part. Pretend like you forgot your wallet and leave. Get the amount of money I requested earlier. You will pass it to me within an empty Starbucks cup. Run along now; you have twenty minutes.**

 

Sanji watched humorously as Galdino finished reading the text, immediately fumbling the device in his hands as he read the time limit.  Without hesitation he pocketed the phone and set about pretending to try and locate his wallet, before muttering to Sanji, “I'll be right back.”

 

With a bit of a nervous jitter to his step the man rushed from the store and Sanji remained leaning behind the counter casually as he waited for the man to return.  It wasn't long before Galdino came scurrying back into the store, Starbucks cup in hand and looking rather flushed.  The sweat on his upper brow was only slightly less satisfying than the cup full of money he was swiftly handed.

 

Placing the cup under the till he smiled awardingly as he began ringing through the man's laptop repair transaction on the register while beaming, “Thanks for the coffee.  Customers like you make the job so much more enjoyable.”

 

The smile Galdino forced could only be described as painful, lips curling up forcibly as it became more of a grimace of disgust.  Credit card shelled out for the payment and soon the transaction was completely finished and Sanji was watching the disgruntled man leave.  Just as he reached the doorway however he paused and pulled his phone from his pocket as the final message was sent.

 

**Thank you for your co-operation and patronage. You will never hear from me again; lest you short handed me money in the cup, talk about me to anyone, or go to the police. Rest assured my vengeance will be swift and brutal. Let us hope this is the last we see of each other.**

 

**Have a shitty day :)**

 

As Galdino's face became an interesting mixture of relief and barely restrained wrath , Sanji only gave a cheery wave in return, putting on a show for not only the staff and customers, but as well as the camera he knew was zeroed in on the till.  A hardened scowl was all he received in return as Galdino stormed away, laptop in hand, leaving Sanji thoroughly satisfied with himself.  The one's that left with clear indignation at being beaten were always his favourite.

 

Scooping up the coffee mug, he took a fake swig of the pretend drink as he quickly ducked into the back and made his way to the staff break room.  Popping the cap he gave the cash inside a once over to ensure he hadn't been given anything lethal, before tossing it into his backpack. Counting the money now would be useless, besides, Galdino was in such a pathetic position there was no way the man would dare to lie.

 

Removing the inserted SIM card, he tossed into his pack and zipped up the whole pocket to ensure no one would go snooping.  Pocketing his phone with a satisfied grin he head back out onto the main floor, once more leaning casually against the counter as he left off from his earlier musings about the interesting  **roronoa3**.

 

TBC...

 

 


	2. You're Adorable

When Sanji arrived home from work he immediately flipped open his laptop and turned it on, allowing it to warm up as he did his daily after work routine. After ditching his clothes in the laundry, grabbing some sweats and a shirt, he began to heat up some water for some Mac-n-Cheese on the stove. By the time he had a bowl of steaming, cheesy goodness in his hands his desktop was completely loaded and he settled down in his chair happily.

 

Opening up 'Grand Line' he immediately found roronoa3's profile and lit up at seeing the green dot alight, indicating that the man seemed to be online as well. Before Sanji could even open his own window to send the man a message, the chat box popped up with roronoa3's own sent message,

 

**Done work, huh?**

 

Smirking through a mouthful of noodles Sanji set his bowl aside to reply,

 

 **Yup.** **How about you?**

 

Sanji sent the message before leaning back and waiting for a reply. He was still slightly puzzled when thought about how he had only met the man this morning and they were already chatting like this, but at the same time Sanji really enjoyed it. Actually, it was somewhat refreshing to talk with someone completely new to him.

 

Minimizing the text box with a swift click he scrolled down roronoa3's profile page – stopping for moment to appreciate the amazing picture of the man once more – as he tried to get an inkling into the man's personality from what he had posted about himself. There wasn't very much, but most of what Zoro had given was just the modest basics that gave the impression that roronoa3 wasn't the kind of guy that talked about himself too often.

 

At the top in the primary info box was the man's name, emblazoned in black, bold text which read:

 

**Zoro Roronoa**

 

Smirking at the name he tried saying it aloud, rolling the slightly odd last name across his tongue as he wondered how exactly the man liked it pronounced. Though his first name was just as odd as his last, and Sanji vaguely wondered if his parents named him after the old classic Zorro movie; a favourite of Sanji's that he used to watch after school with his father. It seemed like the kind of question he would get a lot, and Sanji was tempted to ask just to get a rise out of the guy.

 

Scanning the rest of the page he found that the man was a Scorpio, born five years before Sanji, a fact that kind of irked him, but the blond let it slide as the helpful little devil on his shoulder whispered hotly 'experience'. Aside from that however, the rest of the man's profile listed basic stats of favourite sports, movies, food.

 

As a beep announced a reply from Zoro, he grinned as he brought up the chat box. Now that he had a face and a name to go with the man, it made this a lot more interesting. There was no doubt that the man was going to become the centre of attention when jacking off in the shower before bed.

 

**Same. Just doing some paperwork.**

 

Sanji's first instinct was to ask what the paper work was for, but stomped it down as it seemed a little too personal at the moment. Instead, he dully tapped his finger on the 'n' key as he thought of what to say next. There was a lot of random shit he wanted to ask about Zoro, but at the forefront of his mind was how a Dom/Sub relationship like this was even supposed to go.

 

Reminding himself that he had already admitted to being a complete novice in the situation he typed out a lame little blurb asking Zoro what they were supposed to do next. Reading it over, it sounded incredibly awkward, but it seemed like the best way to deal with this was to follow Zoro's lead. He clearly knew what he was doing and had done this all before; so logically following the man's usual routine would probably be best. And judging from the man's attitude this morning he was definitely experienced in this sort of situation.

 

**So... How do we do this whole thing? Just text for a while, meet up? How do you usually do this?**

 

Even after posting it Sanji wanted to groan at how stupid he sounded, so instead turned to his nearly finished bowl of cheesy noodles and waited for Zoro to reply.

 

**LOL. We do this 'thing' however we want to. If you want to just text all night, I'm up for that. If you want to fuck, I can be over there with some rope in about ten minutes. This is really all up to you.**

 

A jolt of pained arousal hit Sanji hard and he desperately tried to fight down the urge to tell the man to just come right over anyway. Sanji's mind was already going off on a heated tangent as he pictured those amazing muscled arms pinning him down and roughly tying him up, the slide of the rope over his bare flesh as he was completely incapacitated. Face down in the sheets as the cords of rope burned his skin raw and his hands would be tied tightly behind his back, a strong fierce grip would be on his hip as he'd be completely unsuspecting as to what Zoro would do next. Spank him, tease him, fuck him; the list was endless and oh-so-torturous...

 

Glancing down at his sweat pants he noted the obvious bulge from his quick little fantasy and sighed heavily. Setting aside his empty bowl, he pressed a gentle hand to his dick. Hissing quietly he tried to stop the horribly erotic montage playing in his head, somewhat astounded at how a simple picture and a few words from the man could get him this riled up.

 

Though that did bring to light the question of if he wanted Zoro to come over right now. Fuck, it was tempting, but at the same time he wanted to draw this out. He didn't want just some random fuck; he could go to the bar for that. What he really wanted was someone that was going to manipulate and control him; he needed someone he could trust and hand his body over to and know despite what happened he would be in safe hands.

 

Sighing out of slight disappointment he typed out,

 

**Very tempting... You have no idea. But I think I'm liking the idea of slow. Makes it a bit more interesting...**

 

When the man eventually replied he could practically here the casual acceptance from the words and had to admit that Zoro kept on surprising him.

 

**Whatever you're comfortable with. But do you want to cam? It'd be easier to get to know each other that way.**

 

Staring at the sentence uneasily for a few minutes Sanji wavered between flat out refusal, and intense interest as the idea of actually seeing and talking to the man could be both beneficial and destructive. A part of him was downright gleeful about being speak with him, but the part that had just managed to fight off his raging hard-on wasn't sure he could handle talking to the man without giving in. A few distressed moments convincing himself that it was going to be okay passed before he finally managed to type out,

 

**Yeah, alright.**

 

After exchanging Skype names and quickly running into the bathroom to make sure he didn't look like a completely lazy mess, he was back in front of the screen ready to chat. The small light beside the built in cam lit up as the device turned on while Sanji nervously sat in front of his computer, reminding himself not to be nervous. Though those few minutes in front of the mirror had done wonders for his jitters, now that the impending moment of truth was upon him, he idly wondered if he should have brushed his teeth.

 

A little window popped up on the screen, the bold text inside reading,

 

**roronoa3 has requested a cam session with SanJi_zz**

 

Beneath the request the 'Accept' and 'Decline' buttons stood innocently. Letting the message ring on his desktop for a moment he gave himself one last chance to let out a calming breath before moving the mouse to click 'Accept'.

 

A window immediately popped up, screen black for a moment as Zoro's cam was obviously taking its time to kick in. For the first few seconds the images were slightly blurry and hazy, but eventually the cam synced with the internet and Sanji was face to face with the broadly grinning face of Zoro.

 

Sanji stared at the man in slight disbelief, not expecting the man on the other side of the screen to look like he currently did. Bold thick rimmed rectangular glasses were perched on the man's nose which highlighted his cheekbones attractively and made his stark brown eyes stand out sharply. They were not at all weird on the man, but gave him a sophisticated air that Sanji had not thought possible.

 

A pen rested behind the man's ear as he sat in nothing more than a blue tank top, button down shirt discarded over the back of his chair as he seemed to not have even properly undressed from his work attire(which had Sanji frowning in confusion as he had not expected the man to be the suit and tie type). Not that he wanted to stereotype the kinky internet community, but it was just odd seeing such a regular looking man about to become his Dom.

 

Not to mention the fact that the only real photo he had to compare the man to had him practically naked pumping iron like some gym crazed nut, and yet here he was sporting the accountant look and pulling it off fantastically.

 

“Hey.” Zoro bit out, smirk growing wider as he seemed to notice Sanji's eyes lingering a bit too long on the exposed bit of his skin provided from the muscle shirt. Sanji was really trying to not fall out of his chair at the sound of the man's voice, but that single word alone had a shiver travelling up Sanji's spine unconsciously.

 

A deep baritone, with a nice hint of a husk to his tone, sent a small bout of uncontrollable goosebumps crawling up Sanji's arms in a wave. The man's voice was just like his appearance, rough and hard, yet having sort of underlying softness on the end of his single spoken word that didn't set him on edge. It was such an interesting combination of hot and comforting that Sanji had already decided that he was going to thoroughly enjoy listening to the man talk.

 

“So, your name is Sanji, right?” Zoro asked after a moment, idly pulling his pen from his ear and spinning it on his thumb as he watched Sanji with enigmatically curious eyes. The blond desperately tried to ignore how erotically the man managed to roll his name around his tongue, clearly working the syllables into a small unqiue accent, “Not an online alias?”

 

“Ah, nope.” Sanji replied with a nervous chuckle, wondering if it was something he should have actually considered doing, when dealing with his online scamming business he had taken extra to care to not have anything traceable back to himself. But on a dating site he had assumed that being honest was the best solution, “Sanji's the real deal.”

 

“I like it.” Zoro smirked happily, eyes watching Sanji heavily as he seemed to be looking for a reaction. “It's nice to say.”

 

“Thanks... uh...” Sanji hummed awkwardly, trying to find something to say and not be too oddly obvious at staring at the gorgeous man on the other side of the screen. A small pause stretched out between them before Sanji let out a groan and rubbed a hand to his forehead, “Fuck, I don't know what I'm supposed to do...”

 

That had the other man break out into a chuckle, laughter a little distorted from the delicate mic, but none the less sounding all too good to Sanji. It was a deep sort of rumbling sound that came from the man's chest, and it was definitely something Sanji wanted to hear the man do often.

 

“Relax,” Zoro finally bit out through his laughter, “it's like any time you get to know a person. We talk back and forth for a bit awkwardly about our favourite colours, then everything gets normal.”

 

“Lemme guess,” Sanji deadpanned after a moment, eyes flickering to the man's hair, “Green?”

 

“Oh fuck off.” Zoro snapped with a snort, though there was no venom to the words and judging from the smirk he was donning he was obviously happy Sanji was making rude comments and was less nervous.

 

“Oh?” Sanji raised a teasing brow, resting his elbows on his desk as he leaned forward with a smirk, “Prove me wrong then.”

 

Zoro smirked and rested his elbows on his desk, leaning somewhat closer to the camera and he smiled broadly, showing off a row of perfectly set white teeth before murmuring, “Well, recently I've become pretty fond of blue...”

 

“Blue?” Sanji echoed curiously, “Really?”

 

Zoro only smirked at that, raising a single hand to tap at the skin just below his right eye as he kept his gaze locked onto Sanji's. It took a confused moment for Sanji to frown before he clued in to what the man was referring to and Sanji glanced away abruptly, fighting off a blush.

 

Turning back to Zoro with a derisive chuckle he admitted, “Alright, alright. Very smooth.”

 

“I'd like to think so.” Zoro huffed through a laugh, eyes still settled on Sanji's happily, and Sanji found himself staring back, just as relaxed and wondering when exactly he had gone from being nervous to so calm.

 

“Wow...” He murmured lightly, still watching those caramel brown eyes that seemed to be studying him and yet also just laxly taking him in all at once.

 

“What?” Zoro asked curiously.

 

“Still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this is happening.” Sanji replied, still somewhat shocked at how easily it was beginning to become talking to the man, “I mean just last night I didn't even know you.”

 

“It's not different from any other relationship out there.” Zoro reasoned casually, frowning at something on his desk as he swiftly snatched up his pen and scribbled something down before glancing back up at Sanji, “Isn't this how it always goes at first?”

 

“I know.” Sanji shrugged before continuing after a moment, “But it just feels different.”

 

“How?” Zoro snorted diversely, “Every relationship is about sex; ours is just a little more risqué.”

 

“Careful there,” Sanji mocked on instinct, “big words for a muscle head like yourself.”

 

Sanji nearly smacked himself after the words left his mouth; insulting the man he was trying to get on his good side so he could sleep with him was probably not the best idea. In fact it was probably the least productive way to convince the man that Sanji was worth the effort to get involved with anyway.

 

“How about I cram my Master's degree down your throat and see how smart mouthed you are then?” Zoro snarled back, stark white teeth exposed to the gum in an aggressive grin and Sanji once more had himself fighting down the surge of arousal that this man was continually making him feel.

 

“Oh,” Sanji cocked an eyebrow, trying to cover up his currently awkward attraction with some of his own sass, “is that what you call your dick?”

 

Zoro's eyes glinted playfully before he winked, “If that's what you want me to call it.”

 

The playful words had Sanji's mind-train helpfully derailing as he was promptly bombarded with several very inappropriate images to accompany the dirty words. Eyes glazing over for a moment as he imagined what exactly it would be like to have the man's 'degree' shoved down his throat, a light flush creeping his neck at the heated thoughts.

 

He continued to let the lecherous idea fester for a moment before Zoro started chuckling softly and Sanji suddenly realized he had been staring instead of talking. An immediate blush scorched his cheeks he glanced to the side, mentally berating himself and reminding himself of the fact that the whole reason they were talking was because of sex. It shouldn't be embarrassing to be talking about something that they would soon be doing.

 

“So, how did you get involved with Grand Line?” Sanji asked, trying to not be so bloody obvious about changing the subject but knowing he was failing horribly, “Or when did you figure out you were into this kind of thing?”

 

“Mm.” Zoro shrugged lazily, casually tossing his pen down on his paper work and leaning back in his chair, “I always knew what I liked. It was just after a few unsatisfying relationships that I gave up on the whole 'meeting people at the bar'.”

 

“Preaching to the choir on that one.” Sanji chuckled as he absently fiddled with his packet of smokes, wondering if lighting one up in front of the man would make for a good first impression or not. Though a helpful little voice in the back of his head reminded him they already argued and talked about Zoro's dick, so it honestly couldn't go any worse.

 

“Oh, yeah?” Zoro arched a brow curiously, arms coming to cross in front of his chest, helpfully pronouncing the bulk of man's arms and the amount of chest muscle hidden under the concealing shirt, “What made you realize you needed to go on a fetish site and start chatting up strangers?”

 

“I... I don't know...” Sanji muttered after a moment, twisting his swivel chair in an excuse to fidget and look away from the scrutinizing glare of the other man, “I didn't really figure out early on; I just gradually found that women didn't do it for me, and that most men failed to live up to my expectations...”

 

Which was true. Sadi had been amazing, while it had lasted. But there was still an element between them that just hadn't completely worked, which had also been the initial catalyst for their break up. She had not only made him realize his fascination with submission, but also his attraction to men. Not that it had anything to do with her beauty, but she had just made him realize that he wanted more. Of course, most men hadn't exactly lived up to his expectations either. Though Zoro was beginning to become a very promising candidate; if he fucked as good as he bantered...

 

Zoro nodded at this, but stayed silent; seemingly taking in what Sanji was saying with honest curiosity. It was interesting to see the man mulling over the words and obviously seemed to be interested in Sanji's life. It was almost a bit of a shock as he realized that Zoro was completely genuine. He wasn't some false guy that was just trying to get into Sanji's pants, he actually seemed to be putting the effort in to listening to what Sanji was actually saying.

 

“A friend told me to try an online sight...” Sanji shrugged as he finally gave in and began unwrapping the small box, fighting with the clear plastic wrapping for a moment as he continued, “I'd pretty much run out of options so I figured why the hell not.”

 

Zoro nodded quietly, seemingly pondering the words as his eyes were glued to Sanji's deft fingers as they finally tossed the plastic aside and worked open the box to pull out a fresh cig. Peeling back the protective foil he fished one out, keeping it expertly perched between his fingers as he tossed the box to the side as a thought hit him. Looking back up at Zoro before proffering the cigarette and asking, “Do you mind?”

 

Eyes snapping up instantly Zoro just smiled softly before shaking his head in slight amusement, “Don't care. Not like I can smell it anyways.”

 

“Thank fuck.” Sanji let out a breath of relief, immediately popping it between his lips before fishing out a lighter, snapping the flint with a deft thumb and bringing the flame up to the end. Sucking in sharply he waited until a proper cherry was formed and he tossed the little blue disposable lighter to the side. After a long satisfying drag he finally looked back at Zoro as he explained, “It's sometimes a deal breaker.”

 

“Definitely not a deal breaker.” Zoro chuckled somewhat excitedly, eyeing up the red end of the cig with interest. That had Sanji wondering what exactly was going on behind those caramel brown eyes. Deciding to disregard it for a moment he made a small show of sucking on the end playfully before sitting quietly as the smoke stewed in his lungs.

 

It was erotically empowering seeing the way Zoro's eyes followed his movements and were glued to his lips in an almost down right filthy way. Clearly not thinking innocent thoughts, but Sanji hardly cared as he revelled in the ease in which he was able to already talk with the man.

 

“You mentioned a Master's,” Sanji absently mused after a drag, “What in?”

 

“Sports medicine and physiotherapy.” Zoro replied somewhat dazedly, dragging his eyes away from Sanji's lips with visible effort as he once more addressed Sanji.

 

That had Sanji raising both his eyebrows in surprise, he really had to stop assigning stereotypes to the types of people he met on the internet. But what were the odds of being able to find a semi-sane man on a bit of a depraved dating site that was actually a decent, working individual.

 

“Wow.” Sanji chuckled as he realized that his job sounded somewhat inferior to the doctor's, but he knew for a fact that he raked in almost the same amount of money (if not more) than the man. Besides he wasn't one to be embarrassed by what he did. In fact he enjoyed what he did, and it allowed him to work minimal hours, find clients to scam, and make a large profit with very little effort involved.

 

“You?”

 

“Tech Support.” Sanji grinned out playfully, watching Zoro for any reaction that might have seemed unimpressed, but instead just got a returned smile.

 

“Tech, huh?” Zoro mused, seemingly not even fazed by Sanji's current job standing, “What in?”

 

“Ah, well just about anything,” Sanji replied, “but I'm currently stuck at Apple.”

 

“Working at a Genius Bar then?”

 

“Yup.” Sanji replied, popping the 'p' on the end of the word happily, “It pays really well; gives me good wage advancement and opportunities to promote my software.”

 

“'Your software'?” Zoro quirked an eyebrow in question.

 

“Yeah, I design stuff.” Sanji shrugged, watching as the cherry on his cigarette was getting fairly burnt down, “Entrepreneurial stuff.”

 

“That's actually really cool.” Zoro smiled, and Sanji tried not to admit to himself that he was relieved by Zoro's acceptance of his college drop-out career.

 

“So, what are you doing?” Sanji asked curiously, eyes flicking down to the papers on his desk in slight interest, wanting to steer the conversation away from himself. If the man was indeed doing his taxes then Sanji might have to rethink his entire image of the guy.

 

“Ah.” Zoro made a sound of shock before glancing down, obviously not expecting the question, before snatching up the paper he had been currently working on and holding it up absently for Sanji, “Prescriptions. For work.”

 

“Oh, man. Am I distracting you from your work?” Sanji asked quickly, “We can chat later if you want?”

 

“No, it's fine,” Zoro protested quickly with a grin, “they aren't too important, but the less time I spend on these at the office then the more time I can spend with patients.”

 

Zoro paused at that before smirking, eyes trailing Sanji up and down heatedly before murmuring, “But you are very distracting...”

 

Sanji flushed and desperately wished that he was messaging with the man so that Zoro wouldn't be able to see how red his cheeks had gotten. Damn, just when he had thought he was getting comfortable enough with the man to _not_ blush anymore...

 

“Wow...” Zoro mused with an air of shock, as though he was just realizing something incredibly interesting, “You're kind of adorable.”

 

That had Sanji sitting upright in his chair in an instant, face indignant as he sputtered awkwardly, “Am not!”

 

Zoro just burst out laughing, obviously completely disagreeing with Sanji before finally levelling Sanji with an amused look, murmuring absently, “So, why don't you tell me about that Capoeira tournament you mentioned this morning? How'd you place?”

 

Lighting up at the question Sanji scooped up his box of smokes, fishing one out as he already set off on a tangent about the trip and the competition there. Zoro for his part listened with genuine interest as Sanji leaned forward on his desk, grinning through the camera at Zoro as he regaled him with his gold winning match. The whole story lead into Zoro talking about a tournament he had went to last year, and Sanji hardly noticed the time passing as he sat and talked to the man.

 

By the time his eyes started getting heavy and Zoro regretfully mentioned needing to get sleep for work tomorrow it was near to two in the morning, and as Sanji shut down his laptop he couldn't keep the dopey grin from his face as he ambled off to bed with high spirits and Zoro's cell number in his phone.

 

~X~

 

It had been a week; a full, amazing, week of coming home each night from work and being able to just talk with Zoro. Each night Sanji ended up talking to the man for a solid four hours about everything and nothing, all at the same time. Talking about sports, asking the usual questions like what was each others favourite movie, or the places they'd travelled. They hadn't really discussed much about the actual sexual part of the relationship yet, but just being able to throw himself down on the couch and absently talk to Zoro about a shit customer while the man filled out stacks of paperwork was fairly relaxing.

 

Out beyond the doors of the mall entrance Sanji leaned against the brick wall beside the large sand filled ash tray as he smoked a lunch break cigarette. Mulling over everything that had been happening the past week and how far – yet not far enough – he and Zoro had come.

 

Part of him loved the casual conversations that they had together, and oddly enough Zoro felt more like a friend at the moment than anything else. Though another part of him quietly was wondering – with excitement and dread – when he had Zoro were finally going to meet up. It was a thought that both plagued his anxiety attacks as well as his morning shower as he wondered just what Zoro would do to him.

 

Though Zoro had of course mentioned that he wanted to follow through on his first message from last week. Stating somewhat bluntly that,

 

**I like to know my partner can take me in a fight before I fuck them.**

 

That thought had Sanji in the shower that night imagining several intense, compromising situations that could ensue afterwards, and then had led to him lying in bed and panicking about when Zoro would request to meet. All in all, Sanji was becoming exceedingly strung out in his need to just get the whole thing thrown into motion.

 

Hearing a door opening broke Sanji from his thoughts, and he cast a glance toward the exit as Ace appeared from within. Making his way over to lean against the wall beside Sanji, Ace did not even bother to ask permission as he snatched the pack of cheap Menthols from Sanji's breast pocket and pulled a stick free. Handing the box back in exchange for a lighter the ebony haired male flicked the lighter with a causal air that made him seem far too comfortable with the open flame; lighting up before tossing the lighter back to Sanji's awaiting palm.

 

“When's your shift done today?” Ace asked after taking his first inhale, breathing out as the spoke the words.

 

“Six.” Sanji shrugged, “You?”

 

“Ugh. Nine.” Ace grunted. “Fucking mall hours.”

 

Sanji chuckled at the man's luck, though it was what he got from being assistant manager. Taking a drag on his cig he grunted, “That sucks man.”

 

Though Ace's annoyance seemed to cut out quick as he grinned, shoving an elbow into Sanji's side, “So, what's been keeping you at home so much? New squeeze?”

 

“Actually, I checked out a dating site...” Sanji mentioned absently, staring out at the large above ground parking lot in the back of mall, trying to go for indifferent as he dropped the news on his friend. Though Ace had been the one to suggest the whole crazy idea to him in the first place.

 

“Oh, yeah?” Ace grinned curiously, huffing out a stream of pale smoke, “How'd that go?”

 

A long pause of awkward silence as Sanji didn't exactly know how to phrase what he and Zoro were yet, “I met someone.”

 

It was clearly not the answer Ace had been expecting as he laughed in shock before slugging Sanji in the arm sharply, “No fucking way?! How's it been going?”

 

“We've just been Skypeing.” Sanji explained absently, “He's being nice about my inexperience, but I think we're gonna meet soon.”

 

Ace had been his friend for a long time – he had actually been the reason Sanji had gotten hired at Apple after being fired from a small T-Mobile booth at the far end of the mall – and he had been laughing, yet encouraging Sanji through all of his past failed relationships. Though Sanji was no less ruthless in return and still made fun of the man for the one time he had a girl throw a Orange Julius in his face at work upon finding out he had been cheating on her.

 

He could hardly blame the tattooed vixen for her annoyance and had laughed at the guy the whole time he had been bent over the sink in the employee bathroom trying to get purple acai berry juice from his eyes.

 

“Is he hot?” Ace asked, already leaning in as Sanji pulled out his phone.

 

“I'd like to think so.” Sanji admitted modestly, pulling up the man's profile picture from his iPhone's photo album and turning it toward the black haired man.

 

Ace let out a low whistle that was mixed with a long stream of smoke before glancing up at Sanji with a smirk, “Shit!”

 

“I know right? He's amazingly attractive, has a solid job, and the patience of a monk.” Sanji breathed out on a chuckle, hand rubbing the back of his neck as he fondly smiled at the memories he had already gained from his short times talking with the man, “He's practically perfect.”

 

“Besides the fact that he likes hog tying you and fucking you with a dildo.” Ace pointed out, grinding out the last bit of his cigarette in the ash tray, Sanji following suit as they began to make their way back inside.

 

Sanji just smirked filthily and sent a dirty smirk Ace's way, “Oh, that's not a con.”

 

“Dude... No.” Ace pulled a small face before chuckling, “I do NOT want to hear about it.”

 

“I'm hoping he's in to knife play...” Sanji mused, ignoring Ace's uncomfortableness as he purposefully sent a curious glance the man's way, “cause THAT would be a lot of fun...”

 

“I still don't get how that shit turns you on...” Ace shook his head through a grin, “like my biggest fear on this entire fucking planet is getting fisted.”

 

That had Sanji snorting loudly at the slightly disturbing picture of the young male in an extremely painful yet compromising position flashed into his mind. Pursing his lips to keep from laughing he glanced up at the brunette whom was watching him with a completely humourless look as he slowly shook his head.

 

“Don't you dare.”

 

The command was the last straw and Sanji was forced to stop by one of the mini mall carousels for kids and cling to the horse lest he fall to the floor in his hysterics; clutching his gut as he cackled at the terrible imagery as well as the fact that the man was genuinely terrified of something so freaking ridiculous. But just as he was beginning to calm his giggles he noted the indignant look plastered across the Tech's face and Sanji's resolve broke all over again.

 

Sanji was keeled over the ceramic horse as he took deep breaths to try and calm himself, though every time he looked back up at Ace's unimpressed face it only caused him to relapse. Eventually he managed to suppress most of his chuckling as he held up a hand in apology, “Sorry. Sorry. I'm good! I'll stop—phhft!”

 

“It's not that funny!” Ace finally snapped with a dramatic roll of his eyes which only caused Sanji to scoff loudly.

 

“Oh, no. It really is.” Sanji assured with a broad grin, wiping a stray tears from his cheek. “That's the best thing I've heard all day.”

 

“And the last.” Ace threatened, “Tell anyone and I'll beat the shit out of you.”

 

“Careful,” Sanji grinned, waggling his eyebrows suggestively, “I might enjoy it.”

 

That just had Ace rolling his eyes in exasperation, “You're so weird.”

 

“Like you can talk.” Sanji scoffed, straightening out his shirt and noting how empty his box of smokes currently was. Jerking his head towards a Shefield Express he muttered, “I need a new pack.”

 

“Whatever.” Ace grinned cheekily, following the blond into the small open convenience store, leaning near the counter as Sanji flashed his ID and asked for a new box of Menthols.

 

“Man, you hear about that girl?” Ace asked, jerking his head lightly in the direction of the stack of magazines that rested beside the till. Sanji finished handing over the cash for his new pack before glancing down at what Ace was referring to.

 

Casting a quick glance over the photo on the front, it was obvious a photo taken from a Facebook page as the quality left a lot to be desired, but nonetheless showed the true beauty of the girl. Flowing flaming red locks of hair fell over her shoulders as she was grinning up at the camera, adorable brown eyes outlined in harsh makeup staring up innocently as the most photogenic smile graced her face. It was an extremely genuine smile that made Sanji flinch as he read the title emblazoned atop the page.

 

**20 YEAR OLD GIRL STILL MISSING – THE 2 MONTH LONG SEARCH FOR THE MISSING NAMI MIKAN CONTINUES. READ MORE ON PAGE 27.**

 

“Apparently one day she just up and vanished.” Ace murmured casually with a remorseful sigh, “It's pretty sad.”

 

It took a few moments for Sanji to forcibly drag his gaze away from the smiling face on the cover of the magazine, stomping down his melancholy at the thought that someone would hurt such an innocent looking girl. Sighing softly as he and Ace exited the store he muttered, “There's been a couple of disappearances recently.”

 

Seattle was relatively small compared to some other big name cities, though it wasn't completely unknown and the crime rate was as normal as any other city. That didn't stop the place from being in a bit of an uproar about a few odd disappearances recently that were suspected to be the work of gang violence.

 

To date there had been three major disappearances of two young males and the one girl currently emblazoned on the cover of the paper. Without any further clues from their disappearances, nor any trace of a body, the cops had written it off as being in clear relation to the underground crime and drug circuit in the city. No one knew how to get rid of bodies like the mob did.

 

Ace grunted noncommittally as they made their way back towards the Apple shop. As Sanji pocketed his pack of Menthol's Ace continued, “I know that stuff like that happens, but it's kind of unsettling. What if it's someone we know next?”

 

“Let's just hope not.” Sanji muttered quietly.

 

~X~

 

Sanji sighed, making his way back behind the Genius Bar after dealing with a rather stubborn old woman whom didn't seem to understand that there was absolutely no difference between the two iPads besides the colour; and then had proceeded to need an entire lecture on how the MB to GB relation system worked.

 

Rubbing two fingers against his temple wearily he tried to remind himself that not all customers were as misinformed and dull as the old folks that need special help with the technology. Sanji was absently wondering if Ace would let him run to the food court to grab a recovery latte when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

 

**So, I was thinking we should meet up soon. Have that sparring match.**

 

Sanji stared down at the text, immediately getting that mixture of excitement and nervousness that he knew would be coming from the moment that he received a text from the man. It shouldn't have been a big deal seeing Zoro in person after all their Skypeing, but it still left him with an odd, lingering sense of fear. Being with him in person would allow for several scenarios that couldn't possibly take place over internet; and things that Sanji wasn't sure he was ready for quite yet.

 

As much as the idea of being tied up by the gorgeous man had him weak in the knees, he also didn't quite feel like he completely trusted Zoro yet. He knew him, but he still hadn't really gotten to know him, and Sanji wanted unequivocal trust between them before he let Zoro control him in more ways than one.

 

Though what he had gotten to know of Zoro from the past week had spoken volumes and he was already positive that Zoro would only proceed if Sanji told him he was ready. Jostling his phone in his hand he contemplated his reply before giving in and letting a bit of his wild side through.

 

**I look forward to it. When does it work for you?**

 

Zoro replied with a single question.

 

**Sunday?**

 

He had work, but would be done fairly early if that worked out for the man. Quickly scrawling out a reply, and adding on the unfortunate reality of work, Sanji waited with baited breath as he watched his text send.

 

**Perfect. But I have work in the morning...**

 

Zoro's reply came after a few minutes,

 

**That's okay. Come to the Merry Sports Medical Clinic on East Blue Boulevard. I'll be finished work at around five. Does that work for you?**

 

Sanji's brows rose in interest at that. Zoro wanted to meet at his work? Then again a physiotherapy unit would have a fairly proper gym set up, he assumed. Smiling, he was a bit more calmed down by the fact that they would be meeting at Zoro's work and not somewhere exclusive.

 

**I'm done at six. So I can be there by six thirty if you don't mind waiting?**

 

Zoro's reply came almost instantly.

 

**I'll see you at six thirty.**

 

With that final message Sanji casually turned his phone off and tossed it back in his pocket as he let out a long sigh, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to decide if the pain in his stomach was excitement snakes or nervous butterflies. Regardless he could hardly believe that tomorrow he would finally be meeting Zoro in person. Stamping down all his jumbled emotions, he stood and made his way back out onto the floor, trying not to imagine what might come out of the meeting.

 

~X~

 

The entire Sunday at work Sanji was completely useless. Constantly worrying about how weird it might be talking to the man when not separated by a computer screen, or being unable to pause when typing back a reply. Not to mention the horribly daunting fact that they would be at Zoro's work – after hours – with no one there to interrupt them or happen upon them. Surely, Zoro wasn't planning on going this fast all of a sudden?

 

But what if he was?

 

What if when Sanji opened the door Zoro was waiting behind it with a pair of cuffs, some rope and a whip; despite all of Sanji's darkest fantasies; would he be okay with it? His body was helpfully screaming at him that 'yes, yes getting tied up and whipped was a fucking fantastic idea' and he really hoped no one made him come out from behind the counter because his pants were definitely too tight.

 

But on the other hand what if he wasn't quite ready; what if he got into it and got scared because this was all painfully new. How would he be able to look Zoro in the eye and explain that he didn't want it; at least not yet. Sighing heavily he dropped his head to the counter, grateful that it was a slow Sunday and he didn't have to talk to any customers.

 

“Ooh! Go out on a drink fest last night?” Ace taunted casually as he came up, but his snarky remark was silenced by the cup of Starbucks coffee he placed in front of the blond.

 

“Naw,” Sanji grunted as he scooped up the drink, mentally pleased that his friend was well trained in getting him an exactly perfect chia tea with two shots of raspberry, “meeting Zoro tonight.”

 

“Oh.” Ace started, taunting immediately changing to interest as he chuckled, “So, that's why you're nervous. First date!”

 

“Shut up.” Sanji chuckled, rolling his eyes at the teasing, already feeling a lot calmer with his tea in hand as he turned back to his laptop, checking on the code currently uploading into a new software he was writing. “I'm not _that_ nervous.”

 

“Ha, yeah. Sure. And my pant's are on fire.” Ace snorted, glancing over at Sanji's laptop. “What's that you got going on there?”

 

“Some coding for a new program I'm making.” Sanji explained absently, taking another sip from his tea as he found more and more it was soothing his anxiety.

 

“Why are you working for Apple, dude?” Ace asked through a laugh, “Why the hell aren't you working for some big game programming company?”

 

Sanji just shrugged, “I don't know. Not interested.”

 

“I guess...” Ace trailed off, clearly not convinced.

 

“As much as I loathe retail,” Sanji chuckled, “being stuck in an office is way worse, not to mention writing code for something that doesn't benefit me.”

 

“Oh, what's this for then?” Ace cocked a brow.

 

“My business.” Sanji smirked, not daring to tell the man what the coding was really going to end up being for. He trusted the man with most of his personal knowledge, but his blackmailing business was a fact that he would take to his grave. It wasn't that he didn't trust Ace or anything, but he knew from personal experience that the only good secrets were the ones that never left your head.

 

“You still won't tell me what that is.” Ace pouted.

 

“I make game Apps for smart phones.” Sanji explained smoothly. He wasn't lying; it was partially true.

 

“See, I know you're lying.” Ace grinned, already making his way out onto the floor to do a lap and check up on a few wandering customers, “cause you have that damned stupid little grin.”

 

“Keep thinking that.” Sanji chuckled.

 

~X~

 

Sanji made his way down East Blue Boulevard, anxiety high on his heels and excitement not that far behind. The calming tea from work had long since worn off as he had been left to his own thoughts on the bus as he had mulled over every possible situation that would go down and how he would deal with it. Some were sexual, others normal. Although none of it aided in his vapid curiosity for what would happen when he finally arrived.

 

Fifteen minutes ago Sanji had texted Zoro and told him he was on his way. The reply had been short as Zoro had said he was looking forward to it and that had been that. Now Sanji was currently counting the building numbers, narrowing down his time frame until he would be meeting his new Dom.

 

When he finally spotted the Merry Sports Medical Clinic he felt a small wave of deja vu as he knew it was definitely familiar and had probably seen it hundreds of times while passing on the bus on his way to East Blue Mall. It was kind of odd how he had probably driven by this place for years and yet never noticed it fully, or thought that his next relationship would begin inside.

 

The building itself was quaint, yet still fairly large. Oak and maple panelling made it seem very homey, with large circular glass windows along the side to gaze in through. The door had an adorable arch to it, and the wheelchair ramp was painted like a gangplank, giving the whole place a very ship like feel. The little sign hanging beside the awning completed the looked at the words, Merry Sports Medical Clinic, was written in fine, curly writing.

 

It seemed that the place not only catered to adults, as it was definitely given a playful feel for the kids that no doubt had to come to the place as well. Sanji could vaguely see boxes of toys laid out in the waiting room through the window and smiled lightly. It seemed Zoro was good with kids as well.

 

What an interesting guy.

 

The lights inside were off, which made it harder to see anything else within the building and made him wonder where exactly Zoro was. Deciding there was only one way to find out, he stepped forward onto the welcome mat, and looked up at the door, nervousness spiking as he realized that this was it. Taking a deep, calming breath he reached out a steady hand, knocking on the door with three perfect raps.

 

TBC...

 


	3. Tiger and It's Prey

Sanji waited in front of the door with bated breath, hardly able to hear himself think above the rapid beating of his heart in his chest. This was far more nerve wracking than he had ever believed it could be, even though another part of him was practically jumping up and down in excitement. Talking on Skype and texting constantly had definitely made him comfortable enough with Zoro, but the sudden knowledge of knowing he would be face to face with the man was causing his knees to shake.

 

When a light turned on within the lobby of the building Sanji inhaled sharply, taking a small step back so he wasn't obnoxiously close to the portal as he watched a shadow inside loom nearer. The person blocked out the light for a moment before Sanji heard the click of the lock and then the door was pulled open sharply. As Sanji stared up at the person in the doorway, he would've liked to say that photos and webcam had done the man justice, but they really didn't. Not in the slightest.

 

Even dressed as he was now, in a pair of dark green shorts and a loose fitting tank, he looked absolutely stunning. Barefoot as he was, Sanji was able to note the impressively sculpted calves of the man that he had no doubt worked on just as much as his upper body. A body that was, unfortunately, hidden under that damned shirt, and yet allowed a tantalizingly peek at his chest and amazingly defined arms.

 

Unruly green hair, just a tad too long – some strands falling onto his forehead even though from numerous chats online Sanji knew the man had a habit of running a hand through his hair to push it back – but still a vibrant colour that had mostly likely been re-dyed recently. Some strands were sticking up in odd places where it seemed that Zoro couldn't manage to keep them down.

 

Those dorky glasses were missing, but it only left the man looking more rugged as the lack of frames let his strong jaw become the focus of Sanji's eye sight. Mouth pulling back into a large grin as Zoro's eyes settled on Sanji and his whole face immediately lit up.

 

“Hey!”

 

“Hi.” Sanji managed lamely, the word coming out more as a shocked breath than an actual greeting as he continued to stare the man up and down. Damn, but he felt like a thirteen year old boy standing on the door step to the house of the girl he had went on his first date with.

 

“C'mon in.” Zoro motioned with his head to inside the clinic, “I was cleaning up the ‘physio’ room after the patients today.”

 

Sanji only nodded, mentally shaking himself of his stupid jitters as he followed Zoro inside and realized, to his equally annoyed yet arousing dismay, that Zoro was a solid few inches taller than him. Not enough to make him a giant, but it was just enough to be somewhat intimidating and forced him to look up slightly just to maintain eye contact with the man. This caused a small surge of competitiveness which eased the rest of his worry as his mindset immediately switched to needing to prove to the guy that height meant nothing.

 

“I'd meant to have all the gear put away but a client stayed a bit longer than usual so I didn't get the chance.” Zoro explained as he lead Sanji past the quaint receptionist area and back into the rest of the clinic. There was a closed office that was obviously Zoro's, and beyond it was a set of double glass doors leading into a large recreational room.

 

“It's not a problem.” Sanji muttered absently, glancing over the huge gym at all the machines and workout gear spread throughout the area. It was basically a gym; though with a few work out machines that were definitely designed for ‘physio’ purposes and not intensive workouts. There was also an expansive amount of room in the middle of the gym where mats were laid out.

 

Seeing them brought forth the reminder that that was the whole reason why he was here in the first place; they were going to spar. And while Zoro hadn't said anything about fucking afterwards, it didn't stop those taunting words that the man had texted him earlier from ringing in his ears. A painful jolt of arousal stabbed him in the gut as his mind helpfully supplied him with the image of them both panting heavily after their fight, they would move forward to kiss passionately and it would escalate until Zoro was pushing him over the rod of a large barbell and fucking his brains out.

 

Those large, broad hands that were callused from hours of lifting weights would be gripping his hips roughly as he was practically slammed forward into the pinching metal of the barbell from the man's powerful thrusts. Each bucking jerk of the man's hips would have him whining in an impressive mix of pain and pleasure as a pair of perfect teeth would jaggedly clamp down on his shoulder and--

 

Sanji shook his head, desperately throwing aside the fantasy as he pointedly reminded himself where exactly he was and that imagining stuff like that wasn’t helpful at this point. Though, it didn't at all stop his mind from pointing out that situations like those could definitely be happening soon. Taking a quiet breath, he repeated to himself his promise to take it slow and do this whole thing properly.

 

While Sanji struggled silently with his inner thoughts, Zoro immediately set about picking up the last of the exercising elastics and medicine balls strewn about on the floor. Sanji took the opportunity to spin a full circle to take in the place. It was almost like a private gym and Sanji could guess that it was probably here that Zoro spent several hours after work toning his fantastic body. It was a veritable playground.

 

“You know I was just teasing about kicking your ass,” Zoro mused, dragging Sanji from his thoughts as he turned to see the man standing on the mats a few meters away, hands in his pockets, “I'm just really bad at asking people out for coffee. I thought you might say no.”

 

That had a laugh bubbling from Sanji's chest as he guffawed, “And so you thought threatening to beat me up was a sure fire way to get a date?”

 

“I don't know.” Zoro shrugged, clearly trying to divert attention from his blushing cheeks, “You're the masochist, you might enjoy it more...”

 

“Mm.” Sanji hummed with a playful grin, “Fair enough.”

 

“So...” Zoro trailed off, foot coming up to lightly nudge at the heavy medicine ball by his feet, “Coffee?”

 

“Oh no.” Sanji shook his head with a singsong tone to his words, “You promised me a sparring match. No backing out of it now.”

 

Zoro actually seemed surprised for a moment, brown eyes widening in an adorable way that seemed far too innocent for his hulking figure before excitement settled in and the look vanished. That disbelief was replaced by shadowed eyes and an electric grin that sent sparks shooting down Sanji's spine in arousal. It was hard to decide which look he liked more; innocent or predatory.

 

“Fine by me.” Zoro bit out through a grin, picking up the medicine ball and carrying it effortlessly over to a storage area with the rest of the weight training tools for the ‘physio’ patients. Throwing it into a box somewhat carelessly he made his way back over to the mats, that look of childish glee still in place, “Want me to go easy on you?”

 

Sanji scowled at that, already kicking off his shoes so he could go out onto the matted area of the gym, “Fuck no.”

 

Zoro didn't say anything, a simple look of approval causing his lips to quirk in a smile as he allowed Sanji a moment to roll up his pant legs and throw aside his button up shirt. Left standing in just a tank and his baggy work pants, Sanji made his way further onto the mats as he gave a short nod in acknowledgement that he was ready.

 

“So, watch out for the equipment.” Zoro advised absently, eyes glued to Sanji's carefully advancing form, “But otherwise, go nuts.”

 

“I plan to.” Sanji smirked, immediately dropping into his standard fighting stance. Knees bent steadily with his left foot forward, right foot poised and ready for the instant Zoro made a move. Keeping his right hand clasped protectively behind his back, he raised his left and watched intently as Zoro first seemed to size up his slightly unorthodox fighting stance before clearly moving on to assessing where to strike first.

 

And Sanji sized Zoro up in much the same manner, all remaining nervousness was washed away as he fell into the comfortable realm of combat. No talking was needed, and yet he would still be able to converse and express himself to Zoro as much as needed. Suddenly, it was no longer just a sparring match, but it was also the ice breaker.

 

Darting forward Sanji decided to start things off, not worrying about getting the first hit in – this wasn't a tournament – mostly just with the intent on setting the spar into motion. Zoro reacted instantly, darting forward to match Sanji's steps, arm swiftly lashing out and trying to get an early shot in on Sanji. Responding in turn, he brought his own leg up in a standard high placed roundhouse, and found his shin blocked by Zoro's thrown arm.

 

Dropping his leg he immediately used his momentum from his failed kick to bring his other up in another brutal sweep which was, once again, narrowly blocked by Zoro. A swift punch was thrown that almost connected with Sanji's solar plexus' and would have ended with him no doubt on his knees, winded.

 

Managing to agilely twist out of the path of the attack and once more throw himself back at Zoro, he noted the thinly veiled surprise and intense curiosity written across Zoro's face. Clearly the man had not expected to get the fight out of Sanji that he was currently getting, and it only spurred Sanji's fighting spirit to greater heights. Zoro could underestimate him as much as he wanted; all that mattered to Sanji was the reverence that'd be directed his way when he proved the man wrong and one-upped him.

 

Newly sparked energy caused him to grin excitedly, as the rush of fighting was beginning to release enough adrenaline that he knew the warm up was over and the real fight was about to start. As he threw himself into his next strike with renewed vigour, he knew Zoro was doing the same. Evidently Zoro was no longer thinking about holding back as he stopped pulling his strikes and instead bodily threw himself into his movements.

 

 _Good!_ Was all that Sanji could think as Zoro expertly ducked under one of his kicks and launched himself at Sanji with eager yet ferocious intensity. This was the type of fight he had wanted. One where Zoro could see just how competent Sanji really was, and also let him show off a little for the older man.

 

Zoro however seemed to be over playing as well, and seemed determined to knock Sanji down. As Sanji blocked a well-placed knee meant for his ribs, he noted (only a moment too late) the feint as Zoro's fist jerked towards his face sharply. Kicking aside Zoro's knee, Sanji threw himself backwards to avoid the strike. When he fell back his hands caught him effortlessly as he shot his leg up to kick sharply at Zoro's wrist and divert the entire strike simply. Most people would block with the forearm, but this way not only protected his arms, but also caught his opponents off guard in confusion.

 

Zoro was no different, eyes wandering over Sanji's odd form in obvious condemnation before quickly dodging backwards to narrowly miss getting hit with Sanji's follow through kick. Legs kicking over his head, he pushed himself out of the back bend to once more land solidly on his feet and face off against the green-haired man. As they each took a moment to catch their breath, a smile worked its way onto Zoro's face as he began to chuckle softly and it became oddly contagious as Sanji returned the laugh wholeheartedly.

 

This was definitely one of the most interesting first dates he had ever had, and yet also one of the most fun. It wasn't like any other awkward first date where he was unable to find anything proper to say to the other person, nor was it like other sparring matches where it was a lamely one sided fight. Instead, it was a perfect mixture of introductory confrontation and wordless banter.

 

As the laughter died down Sanji could plainly see the spark of merriment and excitement in Zoro's face just before the man darted towards Sanji once more. Serious, yet still looking like a gleeful child, he once more threw a perfectly executed strike towards Sanji's face. Definitely one of Sanji's most interesting first dates...

 

Block after block he continued to divert Zoro's attacks, as his own were equally futile and he was becoming slightly impatient at his inability to get in any hit on the other man. As Zoro raised his left arm to prepare for a strike, Sanji took his opportunity to throw a kick towards the man's exposed ribs. It was a cheap shot that he usually wouldn't take, but decided for the sake of his childish competitiveness that he take the chance.

 

Sanji realized the mistake of his impatience the moment after he made it, the little voice in the back of his head softly swearing at his idiocy. His ill placed kick connected far too lightly against Zoro's ribs, allowing the man the snap his arm down and sharply pin his leg against Zoro's side, hand gripping his calf with painful tightness as Zoro's free hand was now free to do whatever he wanted.

 

The position left him exposed, immobile and unable to block any attack that could be thrown. Balancing on one leg as Zoro's taunting eyes bored into Sanji's. Unspoken, the words passed between them as Zoro mentally gave himself a point for the fight as a situation like this would immediately cost him a match in any legal tournament.

 

Instead of following through on a cheap shot, Zoro shifted his stance as he prepared to obviously guide Sanji into a flip to then slam him into the mats. Just as Zoro's brought his other hand up to assist with the flip Sanji scowled, not up for letting the man do what he wanted so easily. Shifting his own weight dramatically, he dropped a hand back to brace against the floor as he lifted his other leg to lash out in a swift kick.

 

Foot harshly clipping Zoro's ear as the man released his other leg with a hiss as Sanji spun out of the attack and put a solid few meters between them as he watched Zoro cautiously. Zoro's hand remained poised at the side of his head, before slowly lowering as he sent a dark smirk Sanji's way. It was a shadowed kind of grin that set Sanji's blood on fire and caused a lurch in his gut and as Zoro launched towards him he felt like a prey under a pouncing tiger.

 

It became a flurry of ruthlessly executed kicks and punches followed through by equally impressive blocks and dodges as Sanji was beginning to wonder if he would ever be able to land a solid incapacitating blow. As he narrowly avoided a perfectly thrown left jab he began to realize he probably wouldn't be able to last much longer before Zoro would manage to land a hit. Sanji had agility on his side, but Zoro's stamina was easily a match for him and it was quickly deteriorating into a waiting game between who would slip up first.

 

As he felt the ridge of a mat under his foot he realized with slight annoyance that Zoro had been managing to slowly make Sanji back up. This little bit of knowledge that Zoro's offensive was slightly overpowering him caused him to scowl in annoyance as he threw himself wholly into his next attack. Kicking aside both of Zoro's arms as he leaped up, leg lashing out for Zoro's head.

 

When Zoro managed to duck the kick with only the top of his head getting grazed, Sanji knew his move had been suicidal as Zoro now had the complete advantage. Before his foot could even touch the ground Zoro was throwing a hit – clearly restrained in force – as he seemed to be giving Sanji a chance to block. Huffing at the man's courtesy he landed on the mat, foot clipping the uneven ridge between two mats as he fumbled and the punch followed through with stark intensity.

 

Lying flat on the mats, there was an incessant ringing in his ears and a burning sensation began to take place from the epicentre of where the blow landed. Sanji remained still for a moment in shock. He realized the hit had been much harsher than anything he had really experienced to date, as a bit of blackness edged at his vision. He could tell Zoro had restrained himself in the punch but it didn't stop Sanji from blinking up blearily through the pain in mild awe at the man's strength.

 

And Sanji loved it.

 

Being thrown down like this, feeling the adrenaline run through his veins as each pounding throb in the side of his head was the rushing of blood through his brain. Thrill causing his fingertips to tingle icily as the pain knocked aside the numbing effect of the adrenaline and brought everything back into ripe clarity. Excitement pounded through his body as he could feel his entire form practically shaking in its fatigue. It was exhilarating...

 

In the distant haze of his hearing he could hear Zoro cuss in worry, vaguely see him dropping his guard as he began to make his way over. Smirking through his daze, Sanji's competitiveness won out as he decided to show the man that it'd take more than just a punch to take him down. Zoro wanted a sexual partner that could match him? Then Sanji was sure as hell going to give him one.

 

Hands placed on the ground on either side of his head he kicked his legs into the air, arms assisting as he fully launched himself from his laying position back to his feet. Only giving Zoro a moment for confusion before spinning out of his landing and connecting the side of his foot directly to Zoro's head, sending the man sprawling on the mats with a grunt and look of pure shock.

 

Swallowing thickly, Sanji shook off the last vestiges of his daze as he planted his feet in a secure fighting stance, arms rising expertly as he drew a slick tongue across chapped lips. Eyes sharply glaring Zoro down through his bangs as his flyaway hair fell into his eyes, and Zoro remained lying on the mats, propped up on an arm in confusion as he watched Sanji with a look nothing short of awe.

 

“We're only getting started.” Sanji muttered, watching Zoro heatedly as the man still seemed too surprised to make a move. “Don't start dropping your guard now.”

 

The words seemed to snap Zoro out of whatever surprise had rendered him immobile, as a large grin split his face and he was jumping back to his feet, already launching himself at Sanji once more as the real fight began. Sanji couldn't remember the last time he fought like this. At practice it was always theory, and motions, and being weary of his partner's pain tolerance. Even at tournaments it only went as far as a solidly landed hit before the match was called the adrenaline was washed away. But with this; this was a real fight.

 

As the wear of the fight stared to take its toll Sanji was beginning to notice more and more as each of them slipped up, and blows were being landed more frequently. It was a stupid mistake, in hindsight, and as Zoro's hand clasped around his foolishly unguarded wrist he knew the match was over. Jerking Sanji bodily by his arm, Zoro's other leg shot out and clipped the back of his heel in a perfect foot sweep. His legs were sent sprawling out from underneath him as Zoro pounded him down into the mats, landing heavily on top of him a moment later.

 

Winded, Sanji still put up an effort to struggle, but it wasn't long before Zoro finally managed to pin him, legs caught under a pinching knee braced across his thighs and two large, calloused hands gripping Sanji's wrists in a secure grip. Panting, inches away from Sanji's face, as sweat was running hotly down the side of the man's face, his hot gasps were washing over Sanji's chest.

 

It took a moment for Sanji to realize the erotic nature of the situation and quickly gazed up at Zoro, noting the same mischievous look reflected there before it seemed to be forcefully washed away. Hands gently loosened their grip as he pulled away from Sanji, remaining sitting on his lap for a moment watching Sanji with a heated gaze before pushing himself up and off the blond.

 

As Zoro remained sitting, panting quietly as he was clearly recovering from their strenuous fight, Sanji took the opportunity to remain on the ground, catching his breath as he stared up at the ceiling in a fatigued daze, body still throbbing excitedly from all the blood rushing through him from the fight. However, he could feel the beginnings of deeper throbbing that would no doubt become bruises in the near future.

 

“Not bad.” Sanji finally admitted reluctantly, a bit annoyed that the man had managed to get the upper hand in the end, but at the same time thoroughly impressed. Despite having lost in the end, he couldn't get over how amazing the sparring had been; he hadn't been this worked up in ages.

 

Zoro glanced over his shoulder, an eyebrow cocked humorously as the corner of his lip was jerking up in a tiny smirk that clearly stated how hilarious he found Sanji's compliment. Before Sanji could stutter out another reply Zoro jerked his head toward the exit of the gym, “C'mon, let's go get patched up.”

 

Feeling rather comfortable on the sparring mats Sanji let out a childish whine, “I don't need to be patched up. I'm fine.”

 

“Trust me.” Zoro chuckled, pushing himself to his knees as he scooped his arms under Sanji's armpits and tugged him into a sitting position, “You'll thank me later.”

 

Casting a glance over his shoulder, he narrowed his eyes at the man playfully, “You should look yourself over before telling others to get 'patched up'.”

 

“Alright.” Zoro rolled his eyes, “I will too. Just come on.”

 

Fighting with the man just a little bit longer – if only to annoy him – he finally gave in and pushed himself to his feet and followed. Grabbing his shoes and discarded shirt on the way out, he was beginning to feel the strain of the fight settling into his muscles and stiffening his back slightly. The walk wasn't far and, as Sanji had suspected, the closed room was indeed Zoro's office as the man lead them inside and turned on the light.

 

In the small medical room, Zoro pulled out a cushioned stool for Sanji to sit on while Zoro pulled out and straddled a stool of his own as he sat in front of Sanji. Ignoring Sanji's earlier comments, his surprisingly gentle hands took hold of Sanji's arm and begun putting it through some basic motions; testing the limits of its flexibility carefully, before twisting the joint to check for any pressure points that might have been damaged in the fight.

 

“I'm fine.” Sanji reiterated through a huff as the older man took a careful grip on his upper arm, before slowly beginning to work his elbow in an odd sort of rotation. It felt funny, but at the same time stretched the worn ligaments in just the right way to become instantly relaxing.

 

“I'm the doctor, aren't I?” Zoro drawled back with a smirk, “Trust me; you'll appreciate this when you wake up tomorrow and don't feel like you got hit by a truck.”

 

“Confident that you gave me that good of a beating?” Sanji replied snarkily, raising a taunting eyebrow but doing nothing to remove his arm from Zoro's hold; revelling in the amazingly gentle touch of those strong hands that had, to date, only thrown him down into the floor. He had fantasized about them for a while, but they were much nicer than any fantasy.

 

“I'm confident enough to know that I can dislocate your shoulder right now if you don't stop sassing me.” Zoro bit out, pausing in his careful movements to shift his grip and begin to put pressure on Sanji's shoulder. With a goading look, Sanji met Zoro's eyes, but as he glared the man down he quickly noted the resolve hidden there; Zoro was definitely the type to follow through on something like that.

 

“Alright. Alright. Jeez.” Sanji rolled his eyes though was unable to keep the smile from working its way onto his cheeks, “Do you usually threaten all of your first dates?”

 

“Only the really annoying ones.” Zoro grunted, doing a final motion test with Sanji's elbow before releasing it with a satisfied sound, turning to Sanji's jaw and assessing the bruise beginning to blossom, “Besides. If I injure you then I get to see you every day for physiotherapy.”

 

“Ah, so that's how you get your dates to stick around.” Sanji concluded with a grin as Zoro started doing the same motions with Sanji's other arm, giving it the same gentle treatment that was melting Sanji's bones in pleasure. He hadn't ever had a proper massage before, but if it was anything like what Zoro was doing; he realized he must've been missing out.

 

“Oh, shut it!” Zoro snapped through a smile, hands releasing his arm in order to reach down and scoop up one of Sanji's feet. Pulling the appendage into his lap, Sanji allowed it as he watched the older man lightly. Hands were again set to work on pulling the fatigue from the skin and replacing it with a tingling rejuvenation.

 

Leaning back slightly in his seat, Sanji allowed himself to enjoy the special treatment for the time being as Zoro's hands worked up his ankle to his calf before eventually starting on the other foot. Putting his freshly massaged leg down on the floor he couldn't help but smile at how drastically better he already felt from the small bit of rotating and tendon massaging that Zoro had performed.

 

“Mm.” Sanji hummed in approval, eyes sliding shut as he focused more intently on the skilled hands working along the sole of his foot and making the ankle joint sing in bliss. Damn, but the man knew his way around a body... That thought had him blushing instantly and his head snapped back down to look at Zoro in a slight panic. Could he not just have a regular interaction with this man without thinking about something sexual?!

 

Zoro seemed to catch his distraught panic and paused him his motions to look up at Sanji in worry, “Something wrong?”

 

“Ah. Nope.” Sanji corrected hurriedly, shaking his head before expectantly looking down at his foot for Zoro to continue. “Just not my usual first date.”

 

“How so?” Zoro quirked a brow, keeping his eyes levelled with Sanji's as his hands resumed their work without the aid of his eyesight. Thumb working at a particularly tense spot in the centre of his foot that had him biting the inside of his cheek to keep from making any noise.

 

“I don't usually get beat up then given a massage...” Sanji intoned with a laugh, “but I did enjoy knocking you on your ass.”

 

“Let's not forget who pinned whom at the end.” Zoro huffed, “I believe it was my victory.”

 

“For now.” Sanji stuck out his tongue childishly, “Next time I'll make sure to knock you out.”

 

The sudden jerk was unexpected as Zoro's hand quickly shifted from cradling his foot to securely gripping his ankle and he was bodily dragged forward. Wheels of the stool squeaking lightly as the chair rolled forward until it bumped against Zoro's and Sanji was left to make an undignified noise at the sudden closeness. His leg practically over Zoro's shoulder as the doctor refused to loosen his grip, Sanji's other leg had slid underneath Zoro's chair and he was left basically pelvis to pelvis with the other man.

 

Even as Sanji was infinitely aware of Zoro practically straddling his lower body, Zoro didn't seem the least bit perturbed as he leaned into Sanji's personal space. Hand still on his ankle, keeping Sanji from leaning away any more than he wanted as Zoro smirked playful, “Is that so?”

 

Eyes flicking down swiftly to note their position before back up again, he fought with every remaining ounce of dignity to keep down his blush as he bit back, “Damn straight.”

 

“Mm?” Zoro rumbled the sound of interest in his throat as his other hand came up, sliding along Sanji's lower calf before fingers came up to brush across his upper thigh. For a moment Sanji wondered just how far the man intended to keep the motion going, before it diverted to playfully tug at one of the buttons on Sanji's shirt and drag the blond even closer towards smirking lips, “I look forward to it.”

 

Sanji didn't even care if they were still in the beginnings of this odd sexual relationship, could hardly worry about the fact that they hadn't even discussed basic ground rules for their kinky sex; all he knew was that his limits were already being tested. The yearning to just dart forward and kiss those lips was becoming stronger by the second, and he really was beginning to hate that he promised himself to take this slow.

 

Zoro's lips were inches from his own, those eyes promising so much and reflecting the exact same want that Sanji knew was in his own eyes. Yet just as he was sure the tension had snapped, just as he became positive that Zoro was going to lean forward and seal their fate; it didn't happen.

 

A friendly smile fell into place over Zoro's lips, hand on his ankle loosening as the physician drew away with an innocent look and unabashed grin. Playing dumb as he lowered Sanji's leg back to the floor, glancing Sanji over as he commented, “Well, I think that's all for now. You shouldn't have any problems with cramping tomorrow.”

 

Without Zoro holding up his leg, he slowly lowered it back to the floor as Zoro pushed himself up and off his chair, sparing Sanji an innocent glance as the blond stared back up, slightly betrayed and annoyed. Sanji could blatantly see the jest tugging at the corners of the man's lips as he obviously was enjoying leaving Sanji hanging.

 

“C'mon.” Zoro grinned, pushing his chair away under his desk, “Let's go get that coffee now.”

 

Sanji remained in his seat, disgruntled for only a moment or two longer before giving and shrugging, “Alright, why not.”

 

As Zoro left the room to go get changed from his workout clothes, Sanji couldn't help but watch the retreating man's back with slight disdain. Zoro was already fantastic at playing him; getting under Sanji's skin and making him squirm without more than a look and a casual touch. Sanji had never found himself so easily riled before, and already was beginning to wonder how far Zoro could take these mental manipulations in the bedroom.

 

Brushing aside his curious thoughts, he put his socks and shoes back on before standing and pulling on his shirt. Absently he glanced around the stereotypical doctor's office as practised hands did up the front of his shirt with ease. By the time he had readjusted the cuffs he could hear Zoro making his way back to the room, footsteps loud on the linoleum floor of the empty building.

 

“Alright, c'mon.” Zoro chirped happily, popping around the corner of the office and glancing at Sanji, “It's just a few blocks down, so I won't keep you too late.”

 

“Naw.” Sanji waved off the worry as glanced over Zoro's now dressed form. The straight cut jeans fitting the man perfectly as a dark green hoodie hid the rest of his amazing frame from Sanji's ogling view. However, the lack of eye-candy was made up for by the fact that the man had replaced his glasses on his nose and looked absolutely ravishing. “I don't have to work tomorrow till later.”

 

“Still,” Zoro mused as he led Sanji out of the building, unaware of Sanji's eyes glued to his jean clad rear, “Wouldn't want to break mummy's curfew.”

 

“Oh fuck off.” Sanji scoffed as he stepped out onto the front step, shoving his hands into the pockets of his blazer while waiting for Zoro to lock up the place, “I'm not that young.”

 

Pocketing his keys, Zoro turned to Sanji with a taunting smirk, “You're only like 21, right?”

 

“So?” Sanji snapped, puffing his chest out slightly as he narrowed his eyes at the man.

 

“Aw.” Zoro's goading look broke, falling away as his face softened into a more coddling gaze as a calloused hand came up to cradle Sanji's jaw lightly, “Little twink.”

 

Sanji's eyes widened in shock, before the look of outrage replaced it and he yelped indignantly, “Am not.”

 

Zoro just started guffawing at that, and Sanji swiftly smacked his hand away and made to grab the man. Zoro easily dodged it however and took off down the street running as Sanji booked it after him. Not sure whether he wanted to catch him to kick him, or to simply just grind his knuckles into the moss-head's face in annoyance.

 

Turned out that when Zoro was running, he also tended to not look where he was going and they ended up down a random street which in turn caused the physician have to stop his teasing as he looked around in confusion. As Sanji watched the slightly helpless look flash across the man's face, a thought dawned on him and he spoke without thinking, “You're lost?”

 

“Am not!” Zoro echoed Sanji's indignant words from earlier as a blush gave him away, scowling in an obvious attempt to try and scare it away as he glanced around the area trying to get his bearings.

 

“Oh my god,” Sanji snorted into his hand, “You totally are! Does this happen often?”

 

“No!” Zoro snapped quickly, which was enough of a hint that it probably did happen a lot, before taking off in the direction that had originally come from, “Only when I'm being distracted.”

 

“Hm...” Sanji grinned knowingly, “You seem to get distracted quite a lot when I'm around. What a terrible coincidence...”

 

“You know it's not a coincidence, you mouthy little insect repellant.” Zoro scoffed, eyes flickering over Sanji momentarily before returning to the street ahead.

 

“Excuse you?!” Sanji balked. “Moss-head!”

 

Raising a brow, Zoro remained silent for a moment before a grin stretched across Zoro's face, “Curly.”

 

“Muscle-brain.”

 

“Tech-monkey.”

 

“Pervy doctor.”

 

“Dumb blond.”

 

The constant banter continued the entire way back out onto the proper street, names getting thrown and insulting jibes given, even as a humorous grin was splitting both of their faces. It wasn't long before Zoro got them back on track, arguing all the while, and they were able to locate the rustic little coffee shop, which was settled quaintly between two large buildings.

 

Everything from the entrance to the outer window trimming screamed hipster, but Sanji forcefully kept his sassy comments to himself as Zoro led him inside. There was a fairly impressive line for such a small place, but it wasn't long before they were at the till. Zoro ordered a simple coffee, before insisting on buying something for Sanji as well. Usually Sanji was averse to doting, but let it slide as he figured he could get the guy back for it later.

 

Drinks in hand they found a small corner of the shop. Taking up one of the small tables that was empty, Sanji tried to bat down the urge to smile dopily as he looked across the small table at Zoro. Going from meeting last week, to Skype-ing, to texting and now to sitting across from each other on a casual date; Sanji couldn't help but feel elated at how easily the whole thing had flowed into place.

 

Stomping down the urge to say something silly or romantic, Sanji instead worked the lid off of his to-go latte, letting it cool as he clasped it in his hands. Cradling the warmth, he glanced back up at Zoro whom was watching him expectantly.

 

“What?” Sanji enquired with a grin, never quite knowing with the man whether he wanted to say something and was restraining himself, or if he was simply lost in thought and was just scowling unconsciously.

 

“Ah well... I know we didn't talk about it much over Skype,” Zoro began lightly, seeming calm but playing with the edge of his cup nervously, “but I was thinking we should discuss how exactly this whole relationship is going to work.” He glanced up at Sanji before hurriedly adding, “Only if you want.”

 

“Yeah, I'm okay with it.” Sanji smiled, oddly finding himself more excited than nervous at the prospect at finally setting this whole thing into motion. Though what exactly they were starting was another matter entirely, and how was it even going to... Oh lord, Sanji was becoming nervous again. Letting out a small groan, that was more of a defeated sigh, he raised a hand to rub at the bridge of his nose lightly.

 

Zoro chuckled, though his voice sounded concerned when he asked, “What's bothering you?”

 

“The “new” thing.” Sanji muttered, knowing he didn't need to elaborate. Zoro knew very well that he was new to this whole thing and practically inexperienced. Opening his eyes he glanced over at Zoro as the man only watched him fondly.

 

“Ah.” Zoro made a sound of understanding, seemingly mulling it over before grinning. “Well, what do you want to know? Ask me stuff, and I'll explain it to you best I can. From there we can decide what we're going to do.”

 

“I know some of the basics,” Sanji replied, “but most of it is pretty confusing – or at least not explained very well – and I just...”

 

“Where do you want to start?”

 

“Okay, here's the thing.” Sanji started, words somewhat rushed as he fiddled with the cup in his hands idly, “I know what I like. And I realize I requested a Dom/sub relationship. What I don't understand is just all the different names for all the different types of relationships. Did I get the name right? Are they the same or...?”

 

“There's definitely variants.” Zoro disclosed casually, “I'm not too good on specifics, but most of it is dependent on the scale of power control within the relationship. You can give it names and terms, but in the end it's completely up to you on how you want the whole relationship to go. There's no laid down set of rules on how you have to do it.”

 

“But there are different extremes on that scale?”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Zoro nodded, “You can get to the far end where you're dealing with Master/Slave and Pet relationships, or you can be at the other end where it's simply a person with a pain kink. Either way, it doesn't matter what name you give it as long as you are doing it the way that is comfortable for you.”

 

“So a Master/Slave and Dom/sub relationship are different?” Sanji frowned in confusion, he had been pretty sure that they were synonymous.

 

“Yeah. Pretty different.” Zoro chuckled, “A Master/Slave relationship is exactly what it sounds like; it's more than just sexual; it's like a twenty four hour commitment.”

 

“I'm not following.” Sanji deadpanned.

 

“Basically it consists of the Master having constant control over the Slave's life; work, clothes, friends, eating habits.” Zoro explained simply, “The Slave is usually marked with a collar, and the Master acts just as the role implies. He or she is in charge of the relationship and the Slave's life.”

 

Sanji's eyes widened slightly at that. That was a bit of information that he hadn't been aware of, he was actually bit intrigued by how such a constant relationship would work. Though a part of him could understand the sexually invigorating parts to it, another part of him found the idea of having his daily life controlled a bit more annoying than arousing. Sex was like an escape, he didn't want that same chaotic escape becoming part of his life as well.

 

“From the look on your face I can tell that's not your thing.” Zoro chuckled.

 

“No...” Sanji hummed cautiously, not wanting to seem rude, “I think that's a bit too intense for me.”

 

“I figured.” Zoro shrugged, “Not really my thing either.”

 

“Yeah...” Sanji muttered, “So how is a Dom/sub different?”

 

“It's almost the same thing, but just in the bed room.” Zoro waved off Sanji's worries, “Outside of it, the relationship is completely normal. Although I've known some Doms who still do the collar thing, but that's a preference.”

 

“Ah.” Sanji made a noise of understanding, “Okay, pretty big difference between the two then.”

 

“Yeah, a bit.” Zoro shrugged, “But then again, you can have the relationship work however you want. I've known Master's with pretty tame relationships; you don't have to follow a standard set of rules. It's like any other relationship out there; you control it.”

 

Zoro's words lifted a weight Sanji hadn't even realized had been weighing on his shoulders and he perked up slightly, “So we do this how we want?”

 

“Absolutely.” Zoro nodded seriously, “Though we'll still do a contract.”

 

“A contract?” Sanji repeated, feeling a little weird constantly parroting all of Zoro's words. It also made him realize just how ignorant he truly was to all of these terms and vocabulary.

 

“Not exactly, just a standard agreement on everything we're agreeing to do together.” Zoro corrected with a chuckle. “Things like after-care, hard limits, safe-words. That stuff.”

 

Sanji stared up at Zoro quietly, once more berating himself for not understanding half the words the man had just spoken, not to mention feeling horribly embarrassed by seeming like such an idiot.

 

“Sorry, but what?” Sanji gave a nervous breath of laughter, “I only understood one word from that.”

 

“After-care is just as it sounds.” Zoro waved a hand, “When we're done I'll properly take care of you; clean you, talk to you, sleep with you. This stuff is incredibly mentally and physically taxing so the after-care is just as important as the foreplay.”

 

“I did not know that.” Sanji mused lightly, his voice soft but his mind raging as he contemplated the idea. He'd had no idea that such a thing even existed in BDSM relationships; sure Sadi had always patched him up after her little whip escapades, but he hadn't thought that that was a necessary part of the exchange. He had no idea that clean-up was such a clear obligation for the Dom.

 

“Yeah.” Zoro nodded, voice somewhat serious, “Doms who don't do that are pretty heavily looked down on.”

 

Sanji vaguely thought back to some of the rash, dirty replies he had received for his post on Grand Line and wondered how many of them would have properly taken after-care into account. Let alone even know what it was. Glancing over at Zoro Sanji was beginning to feel grateful in his choice to pick someone patient and actually willing to properly teach him these things.

 

As Zoro tentatively took a sip of his coffee, Sanji took a large gulp of his cooling drink as he asked his next question, “What about hard limits?”

 

“Hard limits and soft limits are things that you don't want to do.” Zoro explained, setting down his cup, “A hard limit is something that you never want done. Any certain kinks, or toys that are a serious uncomfortable area you just need to label as one. A soft limit is something that makes you uncomfortable, but you might consider it at some point in the future. Regardless though, both are limits you can set, and I don't cross them. Ever.”

 

The last word was punctuated harshly, with a seriousness that made Sanji not only relieved, but respectful of the notion all at once. The more and more he was hearing about these rules, the more it seemed that aside from the actual act of sex itself, Sanji would have most of the control in the situation. Something that was extremely encouraging and also stress-relieving.

 

“And as for safewords...” Zoro gave a sly grin, “I have a feeling you know that already.”

 

“Yeah, that I figured out on my own.” Sanji returned the smirk before asking, “Anything else?”

 

“Not really.” Zoro shrugged, “Rest is just how you want the relationship to go. Dating fully? Sex only? Though I think we already decided on dating, yeah?”

 

Sanji nodded, trying not to let his excitement show through too much as a smile lit up his face. It'd been a fair bit since his last online relationship, but this had already become infinitely more exciting and interesting.

 

“So, yeah.” Zoro concluded with a grin, “Take your time with thinking on your hard limits, and we'll just enjoy the time being for now. I honestly enjoy just hanging with you.”

 

“You don't mind waiting?” Sanji knew that he had asked questions like this before, but he couldn't help but worry that perhaps Zoro's patience was getting tested as much as Sanji's was...

 

“Not at all.” Zoro smirked, a flash of teeth visible as his eyes sparked lightly, “It gives me a chance to watch you and work out your ticks.”

 

“My ticks?” Sanji asked through a chuckle, not quite expecting that sort of reply, “What do you mean?”

 

“I have a very...” Zoro paused for a moment, eyes flickering up as though trying to grasp for the proper word from the air before glancing back down at Sanji with a smirk, “peculiar way with how I start my relationships.”

 

“Oh?” Sanji mocked before taking a tentative sip of his still fairly hot latte, “And having me try and kick the shit out of you wasn't peculiar enough?”

 

Zoro hummed lightly, eyes glancing away as he pretended to be thinking it over before grinning, “Fair enough.”

 

Sanji only chuckled lightly as he tried not to get too distracted by how adorable the man looked with his glasses, forcing himself back into the conversation as he reiterated his confusion from before. “What'd you mean by 'work out my ticks'?”

 

“I study people's bodies for a living.” Zoro stated as though it explained everything, “So I find it kinda fun trying to map out your body before getting to even touch it.”

 

Sanji was glad he hadn't been taking a sip of his drink because he was pretty sure he would have snorted into it or threatened choking himself. Instead he just made an awkward whine in the back of his throat as he felt his cheeks drastically warm due to the oddly erotic words. Damn, but the man always threw those incredibly hot one liners at him out of nowhere like they weren't the sexiest fucking things ever.

 

Trying to place his blush off as embarrassed instead of awkwardly aroused he raised a curious eyebrow at the physician, “Oh really? Think you can read me that well can you?”

 

Zoro's eyes sparked lightly at the challenge, “I think I can try.”

 

“Alright...” Sanji hummed, deciding to humour the man, “What can you tell about me already?”

 

“A few things actually.” Zoro sneered playfully.

 

“No,” Sanji taunted, “Right now, just sitting here. What can you tell about me?”

 

“Ok. Um...” Zoro breathed a sigh, eyes darting over Sanji's limited visible physique, brows furrowing as he seemed to be looking for something that Sanji couldn't well guess. After a moment of careful watching Zoro finally nodded before looking back up at Sanji.

 

“You're right handed, yet favour your left carefully.” Zoro gently reached out and snagged Sanji's left hand in his, index finger softly running over the three prominent scars on his thumb as well as the others that littered his hands. “You have scars, more so on your left than right. This means you do a kind of work where you handle a tool in your right and hold an object in your left. Simple slip of a tool and you end up nicking your left hand.”

 

“That's weird.” Sanji finally hummed, though not bothering to remove his hand from Zoro's, “But you already knew I worked in Tech with electronics; that's a pretty easy guess.”

 

“Fine.” Zoro shrugged with a chuckle, “Give me a person here.”

 

“Okay.” Sanji agreed slowly, before glancing around the small cafe, noting several people in line and pointing to a rather young woman third in line, “Her.”

 

Zoro turned casually, hands still holding Sanji's as his thumb began to caress the skin gently as he began to assess the woman. She didn't do much, shifted weight from hip to hip as she tiredly waited in line for her drink, and pulled out her phone to text someone before Zoro turned back to Sanji.

 

“Rather tall, yet proper muscle growth.” Zoro listed off slowly, “Definitely does a form of sport. She has an old ankle injury that you can see in the way she leans on it. Hip leans higher on the right leg because she can't put as much pressure on it. Most ankle injuries come from a high intensity sport, so I'm assuming she plays soccer or something like that.”

 

Sanji stared at Zoro in disbelief for a moment as Zoro just stared deadpanned right back.

 

“You're making that up.”

 

“Am not.” Zoro snorted, “Watch. When she goes up to the counter, she'll probably have a slight limp in her left leg.”

 

They waited quietly, and true enough, when she stepped forward to the till to order a drink she had a slight limp in her left leg. It wasn't incredibly noticeable – only if you were really looking for it – but there it was, and Zoro was grinning like the bastard he was; smug in his victory after obviously finding the shock written across Sanji's face. Scowling, Sanji wasn't about to give in and admit how impressed he was to the man just yet.

 

“How do you know it's a result of soccer?” Sanji snapped quickly, scrambling for any bit of evidence he could use to knock the man off his high horse, “She could've twisted it doing anything.”

 

“She has a little soccer ball key-chain on her phone.” Zoro replied easily, his smug, confident grin cutting deep as Sanji only narrowed his eyes at the egotistical man. Eyes shifting to her once more he found that indeed, just as Zoro said, a little key-chain hung innocently from her phone.

 

“Okay. Okay.” Sanji held up his free hand in defeat, knowing a lost battle when he saw one, “You are good.”

 

“It's my job.” Zoro chuckled, “I couldn't very well help people with internal injuries if I wasn't able to see what they are.”

 

“Well...” Sanji paused, nodding softly and gracing the man with an impressed look, “You do it well.”

 

“Ooh.” Zoro perked up, “A compliment on the first date?”

 

“Yeah. Yeah.” Sanji waved his hand dismissively with a roll of his eyes, “You can write about it in your diary tonight.”

 

“How'd you know?!” Zoro balked, but the large grin on his face completely gave away his false horror, breaking out into chuckles before resting his chin in his palm. Tilting his head slightly as he watched Sanji through soft eyes, “I'll have to write all about our date...”

 

“Oh yeah?” Sanji murmured, going along with the man, “What about?”

 

“Mm.” Zoro mumbled through a shrug as his grin turned positively wicked, “How pretty you are...”

 

“Shut up.” Sanji scowled, glancing away as he took a heavily gulp of his cooling coffee, ignoring the cackles of the other man. Focusing intently on the sugary caffeine, he tried ignoring the humoured eyes that were watching him.

 

“Did it take you long to learn how to study people like that?” Sanji asked pointedly, hoping the diversion of conversation would get Zoro to stop teasing him.

 

“It's actually not that hard.” Zoro offered casually, “The hard part is just having the medical knowledge to assess what is wrong with the patient; but anyone with a set of eyes can see the faults in the human body.”

 

“Really?” Sanji quirked a curled brow at the challenge, “So you could teach me?”

 

“You already know how.” Zoro smirked back.

 

“Oh?”

 

“I've already fought you.” Zoro explained, “You are a perceptive fighter. You watch your opponent’s movements before striking. You get what I'm talking about, right?”

 

“You mean like by how they shift their weight on their feet, or angle their shoulders?” Sanji offered, taking another sip from his latte.

 

“Precisely.” Zoro replied, “Kinesiology just takes those basics a step further, studying the human body with ligaments and muscles in mind. You may not be able to diagnose a person, but if I had asked you to watch that girl with a fighting mind set; you would have easily pointed out that she had a weak left leg.”

 

“You better stop.” Sanji warned lightly.

 

Zoro's eyes widened slightly, a flash of concern and confusion crossing his face, “Why?”

 

“My ego is big enough without you stroking it.” Sanji smirked playfully.

 

“I'll stroke something of yours.”

 

Once again, Sanji was caught off guard with how casual Zoro managed to say such a sexual comment – making it seem as though he were merely conversing about the weather – face remaining impassive as he continued watching Sanji calmly. Catching himself before a blush could give him away Sanji replied quickly, “I look forward to it.”

 

“Don't worry.” Zoro assured as he took a gulp of his coffee, “I always stroke my sub's hair before putting them to bed.”

 

“--ah.” Sanji's words died in his throat at the clearly joking reply, balking for a moment for how to respond before nodding stiffly and huffing, “Good.”

 

Zoro, of course, seemed completely aware of Sanji's derailed replied and laughed lightly at his expense, before shrugging lightly, “But yeah, any other questions about the whole relationship thing, or...?”

 

“Nope. I'm pretty good.” Sanji replied, still watching Zoro intently for any other sarcastic remarks from the man, “If I think of anything I'll ask, but I guess for now I'll just work on making that list of limits.”

 

“No rush.” Zoro chuckled, “I don't really mind. I'm looking forward to just hanging out with you some more. You're fun to rile up.”

 

“Congrats.” Sanji snorted, “You get under my skin; good job.”

 

Zoro smiled broadly like he had been given the best possible compliment before taking the finishing swig of his coffee, tossing the empty cup into a receptacle behind Sanji. Smug look still plastered across his handsome face as he glanced down at his wristwatch and muttered, “'Bout ready to go? It's getting pretty late.”

 

“Yeah, I'm good.” Sanji nodded, standing as he finished off his latte in the same quick fashion and tossed it into the trash as he followed Zoro towards the entrance.

 

“Did you drive?” Zoro asked absently as they exited the cafe.

 

“Naw, bus.” Sanji grunted as he already set about pulling a fresh cigarette from his pocket and lighting up. After a heady drag he explained, “Don't really like using any vehicles if I can avoid them.”

 

“Hm.” Zoro nodded at that before glancing sidelong at the blond, “So would you accept a ride from me or...?”

 

Eyes flashing, Sanji grinned toothily around his smoke, “I'll accept a 'ride' from you any day.”

 

From the sudden widening of the man's eyes and the light blush that lit up his cheeks, Sanji couldn't help but laugh at the fact that he had finally manage to get one over on the other man without him being ready for it. However the blush was gone as fast as it had appeared and it seemed Zoro was trying his damnedest to appear unaffected by the constant sexual teasing passing between them. If this was Zoro's way of toying with Sanji and prolonging the eventual torture; he was doing a damn fine job of it.

 

“C'mon blondie.” Zoro intoned, ignoring the previous jib, seemingly pretending it hadn't happened, “My car is back at the clinic.”

 

Eyeing the man up for a moment, he rolled his eyes in exasperation before following after him. It seemed that as much as Sanji wanted to draw this relationship out, his worries that Zoro wouldn't want to wait were completely unfounded. If anything, from the way Zoro pretended to be oblivious of the obvious sexual tension between them, it seemed Zoro enjoyed the act of teasing far more than the reward that could come of it.

 

Sanji couldn't quite tell if that was going to end up being a good thing or a bad thing...

 

Lost in his pondering, they managed to get back to the clinic without Zoro wandering astray, and soon he was buckled in the passenger seat of the new Toyota Matrix as Zoro pulled out onto the street with an obnoxious squeal of the tires. The radio was blasting some insufferable form of dub-step as Sanji gave Zoro his address and Sanji relaxed, watching as Zoro drove him home.

 

It wasn't long before Zoro pulled up in front of Sanji's apartment complex, though he had oddly gotten turned around at one intersection and going down an unnecessary street before getting back onto the main road. Sanji hadn't said anything because the man might not have driven in this area of the city before, but he had an inkling that Zoro was the type to inadvertently get lost every so often. Hopefully the man would be able to find the way home.

 

Hopping out, he turned to bid the man farewell only to find Zoro climbing out as well. Sanji's first thought was that Zoro intended to join him, and that simultaneously caused his brain to scream in excitement and fear all at once. Instead a weird sort of noise started in the back of his throat, only to be silenced as he saw Zoro leave his keys in the car while coming around to Sanji's side of the vehicle.

 

Gazing up at the complex, Zoro nodded lightly mouth quirking in his obvious appreciation before turning to Sanji, “Nice place.”

 

“What?” Sanji grinned, “Thought I lived in a rundown apartment?”

 

“Well you do work at Apple...”Zoro started innocently, before breaking out into laughter as Sanji lightly kicked at his shins in playful annoyance. Bringing his leg up to block the kicks as best he could Zoro chuckled, “Kidding. Kidding.”

 

Sanji rolled his eyes with a huff, turning away from the man and toward his home as he pretended to be unimpressed by Zoro's teasing. After two steps he paused and awkwardly wondered how exactly he was supposed to end their 'date'. Was he supposed to turn back and give Zoro a kiss? Or at this point was it still just a simple farewell before they each went their separate ways? Should he tell Zoro when they should go on their next date?

 

“Hey--” Sanji turned, words dying on his tongue as he came face to face with Zoro, the man having snuck up behind him in those few moments that he had looked away to make his way inside.

 

A large hand tucked under his chin, fingers and thumb gripping his jaw in a controlling hold as he was dragged forward while Zoro leaned in just as swiftly. Perfect white teeth were exposed in a devilish grin while sharp calculating eyes wandered over Sanji's face for a moment before coming back to rest on Sanji's wide blue ones. The curiosity and nervousness must have shone through because Zoro chuckled lightly, breaking the heavy tension with the simple action.

 

“Text me your next free day?” Zoro murmured low against Sanji's slightly parted lips, letting the man's minty fresh breath wash over him as he restrained from leaning forward and tasting that perfect mouth.

 

Instead he continued to stare up somewhat dizzily before muttering breathlessly, “Yeah...”

 

Zoro's eyes flickered over Sanji's face once more and Sanji began to tilt his chin upwards, expecting a farewell kiss before the man would have to leave. And for a solid moment it felt like Zoro was going to complete the motion, tug him forward and slant his lips over the blonds boldly, but the moment passed with no further contact. Sanji lifted his expectant eyes from Zoro’s lips on to find Zoro smirking confidently as he slowly released his hold on Sanji, pulling away completely with a devious glint in his eye.

 

“Call me.”

 

Was all that was uttered before Zoro was walking off down the street towards his car and Sanji was left breathing heavily on his own and more than a little disappointed. He understood that from the man's behaviour Zoro clearly liked to play games, and even more so loved the thrill of power tripping, Sanji just hadn't thought the man would immediately get Sanji hard and panting and then leave him alone.

 

Letting out an annoyed groan he made his way into his apartment, a confusing mixture of heated attraction and livid annoyance towards Zoro making him frown to himself. Trekking up the stairs tiredly as he decided that the moment he got home he was having a hot shower and imagining the damn green-haired man following through on what he should have.

 

TBC...

 


	4. The List

Hands were holding him down. Sanji couldn't decide if it was in a threatening or sexual way, but the act itself seemed harmless in its intent. Rough, calloused hands gripped his wrists in an almost passive way as, even in this dream, he had his eyes closed against the person holding him. There was no other presence behind him, or above him to make it seem like the person was straddling his hips. All that existed were those hands and his wrists.

 

Those strong hands were gripping him firmly, yet the thumb rubbing affectionate paths along the inside of his wrist made him arch up slightly in his eagerness for the motion to progress. It seemed like forever before the hands finally moved into motion, as though waiting for Sanji to give up on expecting anything from them before rewarding him. A hand took hold of both of his wrists before the free one came down to run a soft, caress along his side; fingers stroking the skin with a reverence that was bordering on ridiculously gentle.

 

Something shifted within the darkness and Sanji felt a pair of lips suddenly hovering next to his face; he could feel the brush of skin against the shell of his ear. The soft, moist breaths of air that floated across his skin gave him shivers, and Sanji shuddered at the barely noticeable motion as the owner opened their lips to speak...

 

In place of words, the loudest blaring noise Sanji had heard to date was screamed into his ear and he shot right up in his bed, alarm wailing on his bedside table and the blankets pooling in his lap over top of a very noticeable morning wood. Still halfway between asleep and awake, he stared at the doorway for a moment as he tried to calm his breathing and stop himself from wincing at the pain emanating from his midriff.

 

Letting out a long sigh he turned to the alarm, slamming it off in annoyance as he kicked his feet over the edge of the bed. Being woken just when the dream had been getting good was definitely not putting him in a good mood. Especially since the hands in that dream were undoubtedly Zoro's, and damn if he didn't want to let his imagination run a little wild at the thought of the man.

 

It may have only been just over week since they'd first met and started dating, but as far as Sanji was concerned it was putting his libido under much more stress than it was used to. He was completely devoted to the idea of wanting to build up the tension and trust between him and Zoro, but frankly his cock wasn't completely cooperating. It also didn't help that Zoro was allowed to so freely walk around looking as hot as he did.

 

As Sanji stood and threw himself in a stretch, he noted immediately which parts of him felt amazing, and the parts that felt less than adequate. True to his word, after working over Sanji's joints, his arms and legs felt amazing; though that didn't account for his abdominals which currently felt like he had put them through an intensive ab workout at the gym. Wincing, he lowered his arms and hunched lightly to accommodate the stiffness around his stomach. Damn, they weren't even fucking and Zoro was already making him worn out in the morning.

 

Making his way into the shower, he didn't even stop to think over his actions as he climbed in, braced his forearm against the wall under the shower head and took his length in hand. Zoro would undoubtedly have some orgasm control over him once things got more intense between them – Lord knows Sadi controlled him like that – but until then he needed to get this out of his system.

 

The first few strokes were complete bliss, as he was able to gently stroke away some of the swollen tightness that was wearing at the flesh. Before long it became less about relieving the stress and more about pleasuring himself to fantasy after fantasy of Zoro. Sure, he'd had a few moments in the shower after a Skype with the guy, but after meeting him in person it gave his mind so much more fodder.

 

His mind immediately wandered to the hands that he had imagined in his dream a few minutes ago, rough and calloused just like they were in real life. Unlike how gentle they were in his dream however, he pictured them the way Zoro had used them last night, when he had been aiming to latch onto Sanji to throw him across the room. The way they had felt clenching his ankle in a death grip to stop a kick, or how it had felt in the one moment Zoro had managed to grab his wrist in a finishing throw.

 

“F-Fuck.” Sanji mumbled as water slid down his face and bubbled over his lips, hand quickening in its motions as his mind quickly turned its attention to the man's body.

 

Each exposed bit of skin had been brain-meltingly perfect; honed, tightened and coloured an exotic tan that Sanji just ached to run his tongue across. Muscle and taut skin that Sanji could no doubt occupy himself with for hours if he was ever given the opportunity to service the man's body like he so desperately wanted. It was honestly all so tantalizing he wouldn't be able to know where to start; kneeling and just taking it all in seemed like an amazing idea.

 

Sanji's pace was getting desperate by this point as he realized he hadn't even started to imagine anything incredibly dirty yet as the images alone of Zoro seemed to be doing enough for him. Hips were now involuntarily jerking forward as the pressure was quickly draining from his dick to settle in his sack as he knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

 

Water sluiced over his body in light touches like those he could only _wish_ Zoro would give to him; hand jerking himself in a desperate rhythm he could only _hope_ that Zoro would do with him soon; teeth biting the back of his hand as the sharp sting of pleasure that he only _fucking prayed_ Zoro would give to him finally sent him tumbling over the edge.

 

“Ahh! Ah!” Grunting painfully as his already tight midriff tightened further from the intensity of his release and he was left to lean against the cold tiles of the shower in the aftermath: mind fuzzy, body ringing, and desperately hoping that this wasn't going to become a regular thing.

 

Once he managed to recover, Sanji finished the shower relatively quickly and much less shadowed by the hauntingly erotic memory of those dream hands. Though, it still hadn't done anything to deter his body and mind from still being passionately interested in the idea of sex with Zoro. It seemed that no matter how much he jacked off (nor how much he talked himself out of it) he was still going to be pining for it until it eventually happened.

 

As he exited the shower, towel hanging low on his waist, he snatch up his phone from the bedside table and brought up Zoro's contact info. And shooting him a quick text,

 

**Well, your massage therapy worked. But you forgot my stomach ;) Abs hurt like fuck.**

 

Tossing his phone on the bed, he quickly set about getting dressed; grabbing his more fitting black work pants and a plain pink Vans shirt. As he was pulling the tee over his still wet hair he heard the faint buzz of the phone receiving a text. Snatching up the custom built unit he found Zoro had already replied,

 

**Wow, that out of shape, huh?**

 

Scowling through a chuckle Sanji quickly typed back,

 

**I'll have you know I'm fantastically fit; just haven't had a fight like that for a while...**

 

The reply was instant.

 

**Pics or it didn't happen.**

 

Sanji contemplated giving a witty reply before a wicked grin fell over his face and he decided to be a bit more liberal with his teasing. They were dating after all, and Sanji shouldn't be the only one that was going quasi-insane from the wait; he might as well get Zoro a little wound up as well. It was only fair after all.

 

Pulling up his shirt to his collar bone, he exposed his entire torso before angling his phone down at himself. Making sure his pants hung tantalizingly low on his lips to expose a bit of blond treasure trail and the hardened lines of his obliques as they slid below the black fabric. Forcibly flexing his abs to bring out the best possible definition, he snapped the photo and looked it over appraisingly before sending it to Zoro with a smug grin.

 

**I reiterate; fantastically fit.**

 

Zoro's reply took significantly longer than his others, and after Sanji was finished putting on a pot for coffee his phone finally buzzed again with Zoro's obviously stiff and restrained reply,

 

**I've seen better.**

 

Sanji snorted aloud at the obvious lie, typing back a reply quickly as the coffee beeped and signalled it was finished.

 

**You're a terrible liar ;)**

 

As Sanji waited for a reply he quickly wolfed down a muffin as he pulled the pot of coffee out and poured it into a spare cup. After adding the right amounts of cream and sugar, his phone vibrated with Zoro’s retort. Despite the text, Sanji could tell Zoro's next text was sent in completely jest.

 

**Has anyone ever told you that you're a smug little shit?**

 

Sanji laughed aloud as he swiftly transferred his coffee into a portable mug and made for the door, juggling his keys, coffee and phone while wrestling into a hoodie. Once everything was straightened out he slipped on his worn out Sk8 Hi's and typed a response while getting himself out the door.

 

**Regularly. You'd be surprised.**

 

Zoro's reply came not that long after he managed to exit his apartment complex.

 

**Not surprised. At all!**

 

Rolling his eyes through his laughter, Sanji made his way for the bus stop as he typed back his reply, deciding to go for aloof instead of the affectionate that he wanted to go for.

 

**Ha. Okay, I've got to get to work. I'll text you later.**

 

As the bus pulled up, Zoro's reply popped up,

 

**Alright, have fun. Don't strain yourself, wimp.**

 

~X~

 

At work, Sanji hurriedly shoved his stuff into his locker before pulling out the standard blue Apple shirt and the headset/radio combo all employees were made to wear. Pulling on his work shirt he made a haphazard effort to fix his hair before heading out onto the floor, ear piece already in as he clipped the radio onto his belt. Setting it to the correct station, he made his way over to the till as he pulled out his work phone with installed card swipe and began turning it on.

 

“Ah, Sanji!” Ace called out hurriedly, “it’s okay. Monday slowday. I need you working in the back doing software repairs.”

 

Sanji looked balefully down at the work phone that he had just finished setting up before looking back at Ace, “Alright. What've you got for me?”

 

“A jail broken iPhone that needs to be restarted, two iPad display set ups for the kids’ station, and a Mac that needs to be set up with Mountain Lion.”

 

“On it.” Sanji confirmed before tossing his now usual tech support phone under the till and heading for the back room. In all reality he was grateful for the excuse to sit in the back room and not have to stand out on the floor. Customer support was always entertaining – and he got to talk to some gorgeous women – but he belonged in the back, working with the actual equipment.

 

Going into the storage area he quickly found the four items near the urgency area, plucking up the reports off of each device and scanning them absently. The jail broken phone belonged to some kid named Pepper whom had obviously broken the screen doing something dumb and, along with jail-breaking, now needed Sanji to fix it. If it wasn't for irresponsible teenagers he'd be out of a job fixing these things.

 

The laptop belonged to a Dr. Hogback – Lord knew what kind of doctor – and needed the update software Ace had mentioned. Judging from the impeccable state of the computer, it was well looked after, yet worn in the corners from being carried in a bag and Sanji assumed the man must have used it constantly for work. Throwing the paper work aside he scooped up the devices along with the two boxes of new iPads and headed to the work area.

 

After quickly plugging his phone into the stereo so he could blast some music while working, Sanji settled down into one of the (rather comfy) swivel chairs and set to work. Two unwrapped floor models and a restarted phone later, the two iPads slowly went through the process of children’s App installation as Sanji opened up the man's Mac and signed into the profile with the provided password. The password was Cindry, and Sanji idly wondered if it was the wife, or perhaps ex, of the doctor.

 

As Sanji did a simple firewall check and anti-virus scan a few random things popped up, but nothing of concern. It was when he began digging through the man's ‘C: file’ that he began to find a few odd things here and there. Left over files from previously made pictures and videos. Quite an extensive collection too that seemed to have been deleted all at the same moment.

 

What had the man cleaned from his computer that he hadn't wanted people to see?

 

With cases like this, it was usually always porn. The wife would want the husband to take the computer in for an update and in a flurry of panic would delete all the incriminating evidence in an instant, thinking they managed to cover up their tracks, but in fact leaving a rather obvious trail behind.

 

Though that never stopped Sanji from investigating, because black mail material was black mail material, and even if it did end up just being porn; it would give Sanji an opportunity to either commend or laugh at the man's choice of visually stimulating erotic material.

 

After some usual quick work with the root directory, he was able to type in some simple code to cancel the initial deletion of the photos and bring them back up into the system. The folder appeared innocently on the desktop and Sanji immediately clicked on it, intent on seeing what dirt the man might be hiding. Double tapping the touch pad he selected the first image and waited as the system worked to remember the previously lost file.

 

The first picture popped up on the screen and Sanji frowned in confusion, as it took several moments to clue in to what exactly he was seeing. At first he noted the woman on the screen, who was the main target of the picture, was stark naked as she lay on the floor, eyes closed and head tilted to the side. Pale blond hair pooled on the floor around her head in a delicate halo as her clammy skin looked almost the same shade as the cement beneath her.

 

The longer Sanji gaze upon the weird sight, the more he began to realize that something was incredibly off about the whole scenario. When his eyes fell to the odd, freshly stitched unhealed scars littering her chest and body, the whole thing dawned on him with an intense force that had his eyes widening in horror. Media and movies had prepared him for sights like this, but why the man had a picture of girl's body from a morgue on his computer was alarming.

 

Clicking the next button, he silently hoped that maybe the doctor worked in the morgue and had simply had a picture of his patient stored on his computer. Though his frail little hope seemed completely ridiculous in the face of the obvious (and horrifying) conclusion that the little voice in the back of his head was telling him it was. As the next picture illuminated the screen Sanji still prayed that perhaps he was wrong and this was all a big misunderstanding.

 

In this picture the woman had been dolled up as much as a dead body could allow. A little bit of make-up added to her dead face, while a revealing, lacy dress had been put on her dainty figure. If it weren't for the odd circumstances, Sanji would have even said that the eerily beautiful-after-death look could have worked for her had she been laying in a casket at a funeral home and people were saying good bye to her.

 

Though Sanji was beginning to doubt that the way she had been dressed was because of a farewell, or for a funeral, and even as he clicked the next button he knew he wasn't going to like what he found. That sinking suspicion that had been growing in his gut ever since that first photo was confirmed the moment the JPEG was loaded.

 

Sanji fully gagged at the next picture of the woman, body pale and pasty in the awkward morgue lighting as her legs were spread open with an unnatural stiffness to them. One of the limbs appearing to sag further open than the other as though it had been forced open a bit too roughly and the man had perhaps snapped something within. Everything below was completely exposed; blue and shrivelled from death.

 

Finger managing to hit the next arrow one more time, he gazed upon the next photo in unmasked horror as the camera angled down ward from where the man was obviously holding it. Snapping a full on shot of him balls deep within the corpse, motionless body a pasty blue compared to the man's flushed skin. A form of lubricant was faintly visible since it seemed the woman's body – stiff with rigour mortise – was not easily allowing the man inside...

 

Slamming the laptop closed out of disgusted instinct he retracted his hand from the device as though he might get contaminated by merely touching the object. Other hand coming up to clasp across his mouth, he fought down the squirming sensation in his gut at the thought of images he had just witnessed; brain still not quite willing to function beyond his thoughts incessantly screaming 'What the fuck?' in his head in a panic.

 

What the fuck was wrong with that man?!

 

Staring at the laptop for a moment longer the images once more flashed across his vision with horrible clarity and the urge to puke arouse once more with a vicious intent. Abandoning the computer he ran for the bathroom, taking deep breaths in through his nose to keep his coffee down. Slamming the door open as he rushed to the sink, Sanji hunched over the vanity as he turned on the cold water full blast.

 

Splashing some water on his face he leaned his elbows against the counter as he blankly stared down the drain of the stark white porcelain sink in the staff bathroom. Trying not to let the disturbing thoughts affect him even though his mind was currently stuck on a small repeat cycle of wonder and disgust over how someone could be so sexually fucked up.

 

Sanji was quite aware of his unorthodox needs, but there was just something so immorally wrong about defiling a body in that manner. The thought alone of clammy, dead skin caused a shudder to travel up his forearms and his spine as he stood abruptly and shook himself to try and physically remove the mental images that were making him contemplate throwing up his breakfast.

 

Part of him felt obligated to take this weird thing to the police; it was so beyond his realm of comfortable that it only seemed right to hand it over to the authorities who could handle it properly. However, that would mean talking to police and, by extension, get himself involved with the very men that could potentially lock him up for life if they knew about his blackmailing. That and by turning in Hogback based on the fact that he had dug through the man's computer, it was enough to arise suspicion about his other clients; all of whom would probably jump at the chance to rat him out despite his warnings.

 

One or two rats he could handle, even get to them and make them shut their mouths before fully spilling the beans to the authorities. But if, for whatever reason, they interrogated a massive amount of his clients and got a similar story from all of them then there was no way he could talk himself out of it. Evidence or no, it would seem too suspicious and would eventually lead to a full blown investigation that would doubtlessly find something to pin on him.

 

He may have been good at covering his trail, but even he couldn't deal with something like that, and definitely not risk all of that just because he had caught one particular sicko with a weird fetish. Sighing heavily, his resolve hardened as he glared at himself in the mirror of the bathroom and silently promised himself to get through this disturbing case.

 

Besides, what would the police even do to Hogback if they did find out? Punish him a bit for breaking into a building, and humiliate him some for having a weird kink, but aside from that they wouldn't do much else to apprehend the man. So putting his neck on the line just to expose a man that would get no punishment was hardly worth it. All he really had to decide was whether or not he wanted to ignore the files or blackmail the man.

 

Necrophilia aside, Hogback was the perfect type of guy to blackmail. With a secret that he desperately wanted kept hidden, and an impressive income; he was the ideal equation of someone that Sanji should scam. Even if the subject was a little disturbing, this was a golden opportunity. For the first time in a while, however, Sanji was debating on whether or not he really wanted to go through with this.

 

It would involve making a new App and conversation sequence to send to the man. Most of his other scam-ees all had similar secrets to be kept hidden, so a change of a name here and there and he could easily send the same text sequence to a variety of people. In most cases all he ever had to use were the Cheating, Embezzling, and Stolen app options. Hogback's situation was so unique he'd have to write up a code for an entirely new text sequence, not to mention he wouldn't be able to logically predict Hogback's response to his texts so he wouldn't be able to be as witty as he usually wanted.

 

Letting that thought slide for a moment, he also made a note of the fact that the man was indeed a doctor due to his ease of access to the hospital. A doctor's pay was more than adequate, which meant he'd be able to squeeze quite a hefty sum of money from the sick bastard - enough to probably pay for the therapy he'd need after seeing those photos.

 

Feeling a little less sick, and bit more confident at the notion of promising payout, he pushed away the rest of his nervousness and made his way out of the staff bathroom. Aside from making a new message within his App, he'd just have to do some research on whom could be the recipient of the illegal photos. Could he possibly send it to the police, or maybe the man had a family or wife that could be used as better leverage?

 

Inhaling deeply, he once more reassured himself that he could do this; he just needed to put aside his own disturbed emotions to muscle through it. Despite how creeped out he was, he just had to get everything set up like usual and once it was all over with he could just forget about it.

 

~X~

 

During his lunch, Sanji took the much needed break to grab a bottle of Captain's rum from the nearby liquor store mall and a bag of popcorn from the theatre before settling down in the break room with his computer. Even though he had promised himself to not let the whole thing bother him, it didn't stop him from intending to get enough of a buzz so that the thought of Hogback made him want to giggle instead of give him the urge to vomit.

 

A few shots and he'd still be okay to work, but this necrophilia situation was something that he needed to get rid of with a bit of tonic and probably a few days’ rest. Movies and media had definitely desensitized him to a lot of the disturbing things in the world, but no amount of CGI movie effects could prepare him for what it was like to see a real dead body. Shocking, was easily the first word that came to mind, afterwards it was just a slow de-escalation of concern and comfortableness.

 

As he popped a few kernels into his mouth, Sanji chuckled morbidly at the thought that he'd definitely need to add necrophilia to his list of never-ever-not-if-he-was-the-last-man-on-earth list of hard limits for Zoro. Not that Zoro seemed like a man that'd be into that kind of thing, but if he was going to keep this list for future experiences, it'd be good to have that particular fetish right at the top as a definite never-going-to-happen.

 

Chewing slowly, he began to think about the list of hard limits Zoro had mentioned and he began to wonder exactly how Zoro wanted the list made. Like was he just supposed to list things that were turn offs and that was it? What were all the basic things that were usually listed on a hard limit list? What if he forgot a couple, or didn't add some because he didn't know the names for them or that they even existed?

 

Suddenly this whole list thing seemed a lot harder than he had originally thought.

 

Pulling out his own laptop and bringing up Google, he stared at the search box hopelessly and wondered what exactly he was supposed to search for so that he could start making this list. There were some pretty obvious “no's” to Sanji's list, but there were also a lot of things he had never heard of in the BDSM scene and he might not be able to add them to the list since he didn't know what they were called.

 

Typing in 'hard limits', he pressed search and sat back to take in the no doubt crazy amount of sites that the search engine was going to provide. The first few links looked promising, titles boldly stating exactly what his search had been, but he quickly found that the first few simply gave definitions and were of no real help.

 

Scrolling down, he found most of the secondary sites were semi-helpful, though a lot of them mostly listed things he already knew or that Zoro had just recently told him. Definitions varied from different sources, kinks were sometimes listed haphazardly, and one gave a helpful list of types of toys, but no specific fetish list. All in all, it was a bit more difficult to locate a proper list of BDSM kinks than he had originally thought it would be.

 

Giving up, he turned to his phone, and sent a quick text to Zoro,

 

**This list is harder than I thought.**

 

Surprisingly, Zoro's reply came a moment later.

 

**You're making it now? Aren't you at work?**

 

Minimizing the screen on his computer so that no one would walk in and accidentally see what he had been looking up before writing back,

 

**I'm on lunch; and I needed something to take my mind off today.**

 

**Wanna talk?**

 

Sanji refrained from making a sarcastic comment, though it took a lot of effort, and eventually replied,

 

**Sure.**

 

A few minutes later and his phone began buzzing, lit up with Zoro's number across the screen. Putting in his head phones, he leaned back in his chair with his popcorn as he spoke into the little microphone hanging from the headphones, “I'm surprised you're able to call, Mr. Physio.”

 

“I'm on lunch.” Zoro's reply was grumbled playfully into Sanji's ears, and the blond could easily sense the man was rolling his eyes on the other end.

 

“Oh, lucky for me.” Sanji grinned, tossing a kernel into the air and catching it in his mouth.

 

“You sound a little worn out.” Zoro noted lightly.

 

“Do I?” Sanji asked with a nervous chuckle, barely needing to give a thought to what was currently stressing him out.

 

“So, what happened?” Zoro pressed lightly, voice sounding far too soothing over the phone, before his tone switched to a more sarcastic drawl as he grinned, “Still tired from last night?”

 

“Eh.” Sanji shrugged as he grunted out the word, not rising to the bait and letting Zoro stew over the ignored jibe, “Tough day at work. Customers stressing me out.”

 

“Hm,” Zoro grunted thoughtfully, before he let out a breath and Sanji could easily tell the man was smiling, “Well, I have a few ideas that could make you feel better...”

 

Oh, Sanji had a few ideas that would make him feel better too, but he wasn't about to give in just yet. Number one on that list required several inappropriate items, Zoro's house and not having to go to work the next day... Despite how stress-relieving it might be, he forced down his over-eager sexual thoughts instead to ask curiously, “Yeah?”

 

“When do you get off tonight?”

 

“Uh, whenever you make me.” Sanji drawled, “Obviously.”

 

“I meant work, jackass.” Zoro snorted.

 

“Five.”

 

“Perfect.” Zoro grinned into the receiver, “I'll be by to pick you up then. Which Apple store are you at?”

 

“The one at East Blue Mall.” Sanji conceded before smirking, “You gonna tell me what you have in mind?”

 

“Nope.” Zoro taunted across the line, “It's a surprise.”

 

“You're so uncool.”

 

“Like you're the royal expert on 'cool'.” Zoro drawled as he mockingly chuckled down the phone.

 

“How would you know?” Sanji accused with a false indignant tone, placing a hand over his chest despite knowing Zoro couldn't see it, “I'll have you know that I'm the Prince of Cool.”

 

“More like the Prince of Idiots.” Zoro scoffed loudly, “Do you even listen to yourself talk?”

 

“No,” Sanji jeered, “It takes away from the valuable time where I can be internally monologue-ing about how great I am.”

 

“Alright, Your Highness.” Zoro finally conceded with obvious derision, “I got a patient in ten minutes, so I need to go. And I can imagine you don't want to keep your subjects waiting...”

 

“Fine,” Sanji huffed in false annoyance, unable to stop himself from grinning at Zoro's taunt, “I'll see you at five?”

 

“Yeah, south entrance.”

 

“Kay, see yeah.”

 

The line went dead and Sanji was left alone in the silence of the office, not sure if the warm glow in his gut was from the rum or his excitement to see Zoro again. Pulling out the head phones he cast a glance at the clock before deciding to head back a few minutes early and get to work on transferring Hogback's files to an external system and start working on making a new App. If he worked uninterrupted he could probably get most of it finished by the time his shift was done.

 

~X~

 

Work was done relatively quickly, and as Sanji waited outside the main entrance with a coffee in hand he felt remarkably better than earlier that day. The initial scare of finding the odd porn on Hogback's computer had devolved from panicked horror, to casual disgust. Now, it just kind of felt more like something unsightly he had seen and felt awkward about; like that one time when he had been website bombed and taken to a site with a .gif of a guy fucking a dog.

 

It was weird, awkward, and just left with him an uncomfortable feeling.

 

As he took a sip from his coffee he was just grateful that the initial shock was gone and that he wasn't feeling ill any more. Now he could entirely focus on scamming the poor bastard, and getting him out of Sanji's life as quickly as possible. It had been almost too easy to transport the files onto an online storage system, before properly deleting them from the man's computer.

 

He hadn't had time to start working on a new App conversation to send the man, but had already gotten the contact information for his current wife, as well as his son. A couple evenings spent setting up the instant mailing option from his phone and he'd be ready by the time Hogback came to pick up the newly programmed computer on Thursday.

 

Stubbing out his cigarette as the familiar black Matrix pulled into the parking lot, Sanji made his way over with a huge grin as Zoro pulled the car up at the base of the stairs. Grinning cheekily back from the driver’s seat, Zoro watched Sanji climb into the pristine vehicle.

 

“Feeling any better?” Zoro prodded as he threw the car into ‘drive’ and wheeled them out of the busy parking complex.

 

“Yeah, pretty good.” Sanji shrugged absently, going for casual but feeling like he probably hadn't pulled it off that well.

 

“You gonna spill what really bothered you?” Zoro prodded slyly, and Sanji had to take a moment send the man a quirked eyebrow at how well he had managed to read him.

 

“Promise not to laugh?”

 

“Not in the slightest.” Zoro retorted callously.

 

“There was some really disturbing porn on this guy's computer that I had to reprogram.” Sanji finally acceded, ignoring Zoro's unassured promise completely, “I'd rather not go into details.”

 

“If it grossed you out; I'd rather not hear about it.” Zoro laughed.

 

“Yeah.” Sanji nodded sagely, “Let's leave it at that.”

 

As they pulled up to a stop light, Zoro's face lit up as he grinned, “Hold on. I got something for you.”

 

Foot precariously pressing on the break, Zoro twisted around to rustle through his briefcase in the back seat, shirt riding up as Sanji happily gazed at the man's exposed midriff. Vaguely thinking back to his shower that morning he was beginning to wonder how long he could last before just giving in and licking those offered abs.

 

“Here.” Zoro grunted as he fell back into his seat and proffered a stack of papers to Sanji, “You mentioned you were having trouble with the list so I thought I'd make it easier for you. It kinda slipped my mind that you'd never made one before.”

 

Sanji took the booklet[1] with some confusion, leafing through a few pages before understanding exactly what it was. Just like Zoro had explained, it was a list. A giant list of every single kink, fetish and toy use you could imagine all gathered in one single printed book of papers. Absently flicking through he couldn't help but let his eyes widened at some of the more intense things that were listed.

 

As he became engrossed in the booklet he hardly even noticed when Zoro had started to drive once more as he continued to flip through and read the pages more carefully. After a little more examination, he found that everything was sorted into broader categories and then the sub-kinks were listed within. Beside each kink was then a YES or NO to circle for which you wanted to do, and which you didn't. There was even a scale of 1 to 5 beside it to let the Dom know how much you were okay with the kink or not.

 

“Wow...” Sanji muttered through a slightly intimidated chuckle, “This is really thought out.”

 

There was everything from types of bondage, types of branding, and even a whole category related to gags. Continuing to scan all the different options he couldn't stop his eyes from widening in interest and his his mouth from twisting into an odd form of impressed shock.

 

“Yeah, take your time going over it.” Zoro mused as he flicked his signal light and swerved into the next lane, “Don't think you have to finish it in a rush.”

 

Sanji nodded numbly as he was quickly beginning to discover that there were things on the list that immediately caught his interest, and other things that had him shying away in disgust. There were a few he had never heard of, and others that sounded interesting that he already wanted to try out. It was akin to being giving a list of toys and being told to pick whatever he wanted; he felt like a child on Christmas.

 

Pausing in his excitement he cast a sidelong glance at the man, Zoro not noticing as his eyes were intent on the road, and Sanji wondered idly what from the list Zoro might be interested in. Surely, just like Sanji, there were things on here that probably made him far more excited than others did. Did Zoro make a list already? Did Dom's even make a list? Was Sanji supposed to collaborate on this?

 

“What do you want marked off on here?” Sanji asked innocently, hoping to maybe pry slightly into the man's mind and perhaps get a glimpse of what was in store for him, “Anything you like?”

 

“This list isn't meant for me.” Zoro explained seriously, “It's for you.”

 

“Yeah, but--”

 

“Think of me as a service provider.” Zoro grinned cheekily, casting a heated glance at Sanji quickly before turning back to the road, “You tick the boxes to what you want, I get it done.”

 

“But what about you?” Sanji asked through a blush, “I want you to... ya know...”

 

“Trust me.” Zoro comforted, “I'll get pleasure from it. There's not much that I don't enjoy doing.”

 

Subtly rolling down the window, Sanji let the cool air hit his flushed cheeks and hopefully get rid of the somewhat embarrassed blush that had stained his cheeks. Damn, how was he supposed to prove to the man that he could do all this stuff, and yet blush like a schoolgirl when talking about it. Rolling his eyes at his own immaturity he turned back to the list as he pulled a pen from his pack.

 

Zoro had already said he wasn't going to tell Sanji where they were going, and there was no time like the present to start filling some of the stuff in. Or at least mark off the things he definitely didn't want to do, and the one's that didn't apply to him. All female related were quickly scratched out before he reached the bodily fluid section with slight revulsion.

 

“Okay, so can I immediately scratch out bodily fluid stuff?” Sanji muttered rhetorically, pen in hand as he glanced side long at Zoro. The man immediately chuckled before nodding.

 

“Absolutely.”

 

“Good.” Sanji huffed, scribbling a line through the various one's relating to bodily secretions that he really did not want to have to deal with. Not that he was one to judge others for their kinks, but after today's fiasco with Hogback he was kind of over dealing with other people's odd fetishes; thankfully Zoro seemed normal.

 

Well as normal as you could get in a Dom/Sub relationship.

 

As Sanji continued down the list he found a large portion of it was bondage related, most of which was just specific areas of the body that were allowed to be tied, as well as different styles and tools that could be allowed for bondage. After a very quick over view – once again ignoring the ones that were female oriented – he quickly circled 'YES' to all of the options, giving a varied rating for each.

 

Most ended up in the 4 to 5 range, though a few were marked lower as he was sort of unsure about how he felt about a couple of them. The next category was all about clothing, codes of dress, and things relating to stuff that you could possibly wear in and out of the bedroom. Most of it was pretty standard; asking about leather, lingerie, and the like. Some of it sounded vaguely like the stuff Zoro had mentioned about Master/Slave relationships...

 

“Clothing control?” Sanji wondered aloud, frowning in confusion before glancing up at Zoro.

 

“Kinda dipping into Master/Slave stuff there,” Zoro shrugged, “But it's also considered a form of voyeurism. So if I were to buy a certain shirt that I wanted you to wear in public, you'd do it. That sort of thing.”

 

Sanji raised a brow in interest before looking back down at the paper. It seemed like a rather timid kink to have, but then again he'd had girlfriends in the past that had worn a hoodie of his, and for some reason it had caused his libido to spike to levels that should not be possible due to a simple article of clothing. Smirking to himself he quickly circled 'YES' and put a 5, and decided to leave it up to Zoro if he wanted to have some fun with that.

 

Continuing past clothing, Sanji managed to get through another few sections before he noted the car had stopped and Zoro swiftly snatched back the booklet, throwing it into the back seat as he opened his car door, “C'mon, you can look at that thing later. We're here now and the sun is only up for so long!”

 

“Fine. Fine.” Sanji conceded with a laugh, following Zoro's lead out of the car, taking a look around their surroundings for the first time since being in downtown Seattle. Judging from the mountains now towering before them they were somewhere near Mount Si and a quick glance around placed them in the parking lot of some wilderness excursion place.

 

“So, where are we?” Sanji cajoled, casting a curious glance at Zoro.

 

“Well, you seemed down after being stuck in retail all day, and I figure after being stuck in a mall the last place you'd want to be is inside a building. So, a hike.” Zoro concluded with a grin, “Whiskey Peak Look Out.”

 

Sanji raised an impressed brow as he glanced at Zoro, unable to stop the grateful look from gracing his features as he commended the man on his choice of date, “Not bad.”

 

Zoro only rolled his eyes, “You gonna have your harem of idiots carry you up the mountain, Your Highness? Or do you think you can make a kilometre in your weakened state?”

 

Ignoring the blunt insult as a grin lit up his face excitedly, zipping his hoodie up a bit more securely before narrowing his eyes challengingly, “I'll beat you up there.”

 

“You're on.” Zoro responded quickly, locking the car before shoving the keys in his pocket as Sanji made his way to the other side of the car to stand beside the man.

 

“Alright.” Sanji grinned, crouching low as his braced his feet readily in the gravel of the parking lot, “On your mark. Get set. GO!”

 

It started off fairly even as they both sprinted up the marked pathway, but when Sanji slipped a foot to casually trip him it escalated to full blown dirty fight to one up the other. Sanji managed to trip Zoro into some bushes before the green-haired neanderthal got him back by shoving him bodily into one of the sign posts. By the time they got to the marked look out they were breathless, more than a little beaten up, and panting too hard to even check out the view.

 

“I... won...” Sanji panted out heavily, bodily resting against the outer wall of the wooden lookout deck.

 

“Shut up.” Zoro scoffed back breathlessly, “You know that's a bald-faced lie.”

 

“Keep telling yourself that.” Sanji snorted, finally straightening and making his way over to a more open area on the cliff side, finally taking in the view of skyline that they had come here to see in the first place.

 

Speaking of, it really was an astounding view of the city; the semi-twilight taking place already causing the streetlamps and apartments to come alive with light. Glittering dots hovering over a pool of shimmering black steel and concrete, making it seem more like a futuristic planet than some casual American city. Sanji sighed happily and flopped down onto the vegetation covering the ground, leaning back on his hands and taking it all in silence as Zoro eventually made his way over to sit next to him.

 

It lingered on a bit more as Sanji began to absently think about his day at work and the growing pit of doubt in his gut that had been ignited since his revelation that he was beginning to become uneasy with his scamming. It was something he'd always done, but after the realization that he had become so involved in this that he no longer felt comfortable around police, it was making him a little weary. Not to mention, thanks to Hogback, he was beginning to feel a bit less inclined to delve into the darker areas of people's lives.

 

His contemplation must've shown on his his face because Zoro finally broke the tranquil silence, “Something else is bothering you, huh?”

 

“Ah, it's just...” Sanji let out a frustrated sigh, not exactly sure on how to word his illegal situation to Zoro, “I like my job, but at the same time I think that maybe I need to take things more seriously or something...”

 

Sanji trailed off, not knowing how to continue without leading on to more than he was willing to share at the moment. But still, what he had said was true. It was getting to point that he was kind of considering scamming less; after Hogback he honestly wasn't up for dealing with any more surprise scandals. That and the fact that his past activities made him too frightened to go to the police was enough of a warning that perhaps it was time to get out while he was ahead.

 

“Are you happy with your job?” Zoro asked innocently, not at all questioning Sanji's sudden concern with his work as he watched Sanji carefully.

 

“Yeah, I'm pretty happy where I am.” Sanji mused lightly, “I mean I get to sell tech all day, the pay is good, and the whole scene is really chill...”

 

“I'm sensing a 'but'?” Zoro pressed lightly.

 

“I dunno.” Sanji grunted, dropping his head to run a hand through his hair in slight frustration. How was he able to explain to Zoro that he liked his job, but at the same time wanted to do it less illegally? “I just feel like maybe I should be starting to take my life more seriously and get a real job.”

 

“Shut up.” Zoro snorted loudly, the derisive tone causing Sanji to snap up to look at the man, brow creasing at the rude tone as Zoro continued, “You love what you do, right?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Then stick with it.” Zoro advised easily. “You obviously enjoy programming and computer tech; don't change that just because you feel it isn't good enough for other people.” Zoro scowled, “Do it for yourself.”

 

“Don't most doctors go into their profession for the money?” Sanji countered suspiciously, sending Zoro a shrewd glance.

 

“Sure. It's a perk.” Zoro scoffed, “But I enjoy it more. I couldn't give two shits about the money. All that really matters is that I get to physically help people get back on their feet.”

 

“Jeez. Alright. Now I know how people feel when they have an argument about their future job with their parents.” Sanji chuckled playfully.

 

“Never fought with your parents about this?” Zoro jested lightly.

 

“Ah, don't have any.” Sanji replied easily, wincing slightly at the notion that his reply was a bit too callous and easily made Zoro's words seem rude. Trying to recover he quickly shot out, “If you apologize I'll kick you off this cliff!”

 

Completely ignoring Sanji's warning, Zoro still offered a small wince of guilt as he muttered, “I'm sorry.”

 

“I told you not to!” Sanji accused with an aggressively pointed finger before shrugging the whole thing off. “It's okay. I don't remember my father too well, so it wasn't like I really lost anything. And most foster families were decent, the bad one's just made me tougher.”

 

“Still,” Zoro countered with a serious tone, “I wish you didn't have to go through that.”

 

“Ya know...” Sanji mused with a smirk, “For a lunkhead, you're surprisingly soft.”

 

Zoro just narrowed his eyes at the comment, eyeing Sanji up shrewdly before shooting out a hand to shove immaturely in Sanji's face as he pushed Sanji back into the ground. Keeping him pinned childishly as Sanji fought back playfully, pinching at Zoro's arms as he tried to land a solid kick on the man. Eventually Zoro released him and Sanji remained lying back on the ground while Zoro inspected the bite mark on his hand.

 

“What were the foster families like?” he finally asked, wiping away Sanji's saliva with his sleeve and resting his hand back on the ground behind him.

 

“Eh, there were all pretty unremarkable.” Sanji groused, “A few dickhead's too, most of them got what was coming to them though...”

 

“Really?” Zoro frowned disapprovingly, “What happened?”

 

Pushing himself back up, Sanji braced himself on his hands and eyed Zoro up slowly, noting how sincere the man's expression currently was. Usually he kept quite about a lot of this stuff, occasionally bring it up later on in relationships, but for some reason Zoro was just so easy to talk to. It might've had a lot to do with the fact that Zoro didn't exhibit any pity when talking to him.

 

“Okay, I had this one really weird family once.” Sanji began tentatively, not entirely sure how to explain how odd the whole couple of months spent with them had been. “The first few months they were terrible. I hadn't really understood at the time that I could report them or any of the shit; so I had just let them get away with most of it.”

 

“The woman was fairly nice, and by nice I mean she just didn't do anything, but I can't really blame her; he probably beat her too.” Sanji trailed off morosely, “Anyway, he starved me, beat me whenever he got drunk – which was basically every day – and was generally just a jackass. Then one day he comes home from work with a broken wrist and acted like a kicked dog and hiding from me. It was a day later that I got put back into the system.”

 

“Personally I think someone at work finally snapped at the asshole and beat the shit out of the dude.” Sanji concluded with a cheeky grin, “Just wish I could meet the guy and shake his hand.”

 

At first Zoro's expression was disapprovingly and clearly angered, before several thoughts seemed to pass through the man's mind until he eventually settled on an unspoken thought. A small smirk graced the corner of his mouth before it grew until Zoro was watching him with a full on adoring smile

 

“You're a good person.”

 

The words hit Sanji right in the gut as every single illegal and unethical scam he had ever pulled off came crashing down on top of him in one fell swoop. Guilt cutting through him like a knife while he forced a thankful grin to Zoro through gritted teeth as he refrained from grimacing at just how wrong Zoro was. Zoro had the exactly opposite view of him; if only Zoro knew what he was really like.

 

After the first wave of guilt came a secondary wave as he thought about how important it had been to him about establishing a trust foundation with Zoro for this whole relationship. Despite wanting to be able to have complete credence with the man, here he was being lying and distrustful. He'd always known he was a bit of a hypocritical man, but coming from Zoro it made it feel a lot more real.

 

Zoro took his avoidance of eye contact and silence as a sign of embarrassment and just chuckled lightly at Sanji behaviour as the blond quickly decided to change conversation topics before he let some sort of dumb confession slip due to his guilt. “So, when did you start having your kink?”

 

“Hmm.” Zoro pouted thoughtfully, not questioning Sanji's abrupt topic change as he gave a slow shrug, “I've had it as long as I can remember.”

 

“Yeah, okay.” Sanji waved the reply off, “But, like, when did you realize you had it?”

 

Zoro pondered the question for a long moment, leaving them both in the silence of the mountain top as a sudden breeze swept by and ruffled Sanji's clothes and hair; sending a flock of birds in a nearby tree into sudden flight, before it died down and a look of conclusion flashed across Zoro's face as he snapped his fingers in realization.

 

“Tenth grade.” Zoro concluded suddenly, “Prom after-grad party. A buddy snuck me in and I got to fuck this hot senior. Some chick had cuffed his drunk ass to the pool table in the basement when he hit on her. Turned out that I was incredibly turned on by the cuffs, and he happened to want to experiment. Everything kind of just escalated from there...”

 

“Huh.” Sanji huffed lightly, not exactly sure what he was expecting, but definitely not such a simple answer. As dumb as it was, he had ignorantly thought that perhaps most BDSM experiences were more intense than his had been, but it seemed all introductions into this community seemed to be relatively innocent.

 

“What about you?” Zoro countered.

 

“It's kinda stupid...” Sanji trailed off.

 

“I highly doubt that.” Zoro countered with a strong stare, as though daring Sanji to contradict him. It was also a silent challenge that Zoro had shared his and that it was time for Sanji to own up to his side of the sharing session.

 

“Foster homes made me a bit of a control freak.” Sanji explained casually, “And well... When it's taken away I find it kinda hot...”

 

If Zoro thought his explanation was odd, he didn't make any motion to show it, as he simply replied, “What made you realize?”

 

“Girlfriend and a whip.” Sanji explained shortly. “Afterwards there were a few others, but none that… well...”

 

“Knew what they were doing?” Zoro offered with a chuckle.

 

“Yeah.” Sanji nodded sagely, “Let's go with that.”

 

At Zoro's short guffaw Sanji continued.

 

“I mean they were good at  _sex_.” Sanji stressed the last word, “But they had no clue really when it came to BDSM. Everything I've learned from you the past week has kinda made me realize just how clueless I am about everything.”

 

“Y'know,” Zoro mused with a soft smile, “as clueless as you are, I'm really enjoying it. Taking it slow, teaching you everything, building up the tension; makes it feel fresh and new...”

 

Once again, that familiar teenage embarrassment was beginning to rise and he glanced away from the man quickly, scowling through a pout at his inability to look Zoro in the face when he said things like that. A sly glance to side had it confirmed that Zoro was still watching him, though now sporting a more smug grin as he watched Sanji struggle with his embarrassment.

 

Scowl deepening he muttered, “As long as we're sharing stories; I told you a stupid story about being a kid.” Sanji quickly shot out, “You have to tell me one!”

 

Brow risingin slight confusion, Zoro assessed Sanji a moment before giving in; glancing out at the city as he seemed to be contemplating a story to tell. After a moment Zoro gave soft chuckle and he turned back to Sanji, “Alright. I got one.”

 

“One time when I was little I tried to run away from home.” Zoro recalled with a grin already playing at his lips, “I wasn't allowed to cross the street though so I just kept going around the block. I'd ended up running in a circle for half the day before finally giving up cause I had gotten hungry.”

 

Sanji's mind immediately offered up the memory of the man getting lost down that side street the other night and he was soon on his back, rolling in the dirt laughing. The first few cackles were fine, until his tensing stomach had his laughter quickly transforming into gasped, chortles of help. Wanting to stop laughing so that the pain could cease, but continually picturing a young Zoro running around the block endlessly trying to run away from home was priceless.

 

“Ow! Ow!” Sanji gasped through his laughter, “Ah! It hurts, damn it!”

 

“What hurts?” Zoro grunted, leaning over him with an interested look, but at the same time thoroughly disgruntled by Sanji's mockery.

 

“S-stomach.” Sanji snickered, laughter finally dying down as he stared up at the man currently leaning over top of him, “Stiff from yesterday.”

 

“Hold still.” Zoro waved an aloof hand at Sanji as his eyes fell to Sanji's midriff, hand already coming up to splay across Sanji's stomach in a professional hold. Fingers testing along the out ridges of his abdominals, pressing into certain pressure points that immediately had Sanji moaning softly at the relieving sensation.

 

Sanji was still astounded by how dexterous Zoro was with his hands, the gentle preciseness of his movements completely contradicting his hulking and clumsy appearance. It seemed like he would most likely have rough, fumbling hands and wouldn't very well have much skill controlling his strength, but instead it was the exact opposite. Despite his strong figure, his hands held a carefulness that was foreign, yet perfectly controlled.

 

Callouses were still present, but as Zoro's fingers continued to work at the muscle groups and nerve endings, massaging away some of the pain he had been feeling earlier that day, he had to commend Zoro's skill. Though, despite how good it felt, it was beginning to get harder and harder to ignore the fact that Zoro was blatantly feeling him up. Zoro’s expression however, proved that he was currently working with a diligence and cautiousness that stated he was taking the whole thing entirely seriously.

 

As Zoro's large hand continued to work down his torso pleasantly, his thumb brushed down his navel in an adoring little caress that had Sanji melting on the inside. Biting the inside of his cheek he sent another glance up at Zoro's face to find him once more annoyingly emotionless in his work.

 

Scowling impatiently he decided to act, knocking Zoro's hand aside swiftly as he aggressively caught his foot behind Zoro's knee. Twisting his grip sharply so that he was now gripping Zoro's shirt, he tugged hard and pulled himself up and pulling his leg back sharply at the same time; effectively throwing Zoro back on his rear as Sanji threw a leg over Zoro's seated form and placed himself securely in the man's lap. Keeping Zoro's shirt locked tight in his grip, he let his other wander up to cup the man's strong jaw, and brushed a thumb across the tan skin in small adoration. Finally able to feel that skin he'd been day dreaming about for the past week.

 

Just as Sanji's lips were about to press against Zoro's, the man diverted his path and instead nuzzled his face into the crook of Sanji's neck. Chin now resting on Zoro's shoulder, Sanji couldn't stop himself from pouting angrily at the man's obviously avoidant behaviour.

 

“You're a tease.” Sanji stated with no restraint in his obvious annoyance.

 

“Mm.” Zoro grunted in agreement as his hands came up to run possessive trails up Sanji's back before wrapping around him tightly, pinning Sanji in Zoro's lap and effectively causing Sanji to stop breathing in his excitement. Just like in his dream those hot lips were near his ear as Zoro muttered, “You're gonna be a disobedient little sub, aren't you?

 

The whispered words had Sanji whinging unabashedly in want, before replying bitingly, “Damn straight.”

 

“I look forward to it.” Zoro hummed in approval, one arm releasing to lower and run a caressing hand down Sanji's side, thumb flicking across his ribs in teasing sweeps, “It'll be fun trying to break you.”

 

Whimpering at the words, Sanji tightened his arms to almost painful levels as he began to feel heat pooling in his gut. Another gentle stroke from Zoro's hand had Sanji squirming as he whined, “Can I at least get a kiss?”

 

“No.” Zoro shot back through a grin, the word causing Sanji to bodily deflate as he rested his forehead against Zoro's shoulder in defeat.

 

Shoulder's slumping as he muttered into the fabric of his shirt, “Damn you.”

 

“Trust me.” Zoro grunted with a small squeeze, “I kinda really wanna make out with you too.”

 

“What's stopping you?” Sanji huffed childishly, turning his head to press his lips gently to Zoro's neck, but not daring to try anything else. Being a bit too bold might make Zoro throw him out of his lap completely, and after finally getting here Sanji didn't want to be removed too quickly.

 

“The hunt is always more exciting...”

 

Sanji shivered at the words, arms tightening in a desperate grip as he concluded that Zoro was going to make him truly go insane with this teasing. Despite how excited the build up was making him, he wasn't sure he was even going to last until the start of the game. Grumbling quietly to himself he willed away the heat pooling in his gut and decided that Zoro could be the hunter, but he damned well wasn't going to make it easy on the man to win the hunt on his own terms.

 

TBC...

 

A/N:

The Booklet:

Equipment

 

Tools

Anal Beads

Anal Plugs

  * Small

  * Large

  * Public




Catheterization (Sounding)  
Chastity Belt

Clamps

Clothespins

Cock Ring

  * Gates of Hell




Clothespins

Dildos

  * Strap-On

  * Sucking on

  * Penetrated by

  * Wearing




Gags

  * Cloth

  * Rubber

  * Tape

  * Phallic

  * Inflated




Guns  
Hairbrush

Hot Oil/Wax

  * Genitals

  * Body

  * Face




Ice Cubes

Injections

Knives

Pony Gear

  * Mouth Bits



  * Riding Crops




Speculums

Vibrator

Weights

  * Parachute




Whips  
Wooden Paddles

 

Restraints

Arm & Leg Sleeves

Chains

Cuffs

  * Leather

  * Metal




Harnessing

  * Leather

  * Rope




Manacles & Irons

Straight Jackets

Spreader Bars

 

Clothing Control

Collars

  * Private



  * Public




Corsets

  * Wearing

  * Waist Reduction




Gas Masks

Hoods

Leather

Lingerie

Rubber/Latex (Spandex)

Sleepsacks  
Slutty

  * Private

  * Public




Symbolic Jewelry

Uniforms

Worship (Clothing)

  * Boots

  * Heels

  * Specify:




 

Structures

Cages

Cells/Closets

Rack

Riding Horse

Saint Andrews Cross

Stock

Stretchers

Table Play

Whipping Post

 

Discipline

 

Sensory Deprivation

Aromas

Asphyxiation (Breath Control, Choking)

Blindfolds

Eye Contact Restrictions

Speech Restrictions

Touch Restrictions

 

Bondage

  * Light

  * Heavy

  * Multi-Day

  * Public/Under Clothing

  * Breast/Chest

  * Ankles

  * Wrists

  * Legs

  * Arms

  * Throat




Immobilization

Japanese Rope Bondage (Shibari)

Saran Wrapping

Suspension

  * Upright

  * Inverted

  * Horizontal




 

Marking

Branding

  * Knife Scarification

  * Burn Scarification




Piercing

  * Temporary

  * Permanent




Tattooing

 

Pain

  * Mild

  * Severe




Abrasion

Beating

  * Soft

  * Hard




Biting

Caning

Cutting

Gun Play

Hair Pulling

Hypnotism

Ice Play

Electricity

  * Violet Wand

  * TENS Unit




Fire Play

Flogging

  * Light

  * Heavy




Knife Play

Kneeling

Licking

Spanking/Slapping

  * Over-The-Knee

  * Face

  * Body (Specify Where)




Scratching

  * Giving

  * Receiving




Strapping

Teasing  
Tickling

Water Torture  
Wrestling

 

Sex

Anal Sex

Blow Jobs

  * Giving

  * Receiving




Competitions

 

Double Penetration

Exhibitionism

  * Friends

  * Strangers




Forced

  * Homosexuality

  * Masturbation

  * Nudity

  * Private

  * Public

  * Servitude

  * Smoking




Genital Sex

Given Away to another Dom

  * Temporary

  * Permanently




Hand Jobs

  * Giving

  * Receiving




Harems

Humiliation

  * Private

  * Public

  * Verbal

  * Physical




Orgasm Denial

Outdoor Sex

Partners

  * Supplying

  * Swapping

  * Swinging




Phone Sex

Rimming

Sexual Deprivation

  * Short term

  * Long term




Swallowing (Semen)

Triple Penetration

Vaginal Sex

Video

  * Watching

  * Recordings




Voyeurism

 

Roleplay

Age Play  
Animal Roles  
Bestiality

Chauffeuring

Exercise

  * Forced

  * Required




Fantasy

  * Abandonment

  * Rape

  * Gang-rape




Fear

Housework

Initiation Rites

Infantilism

Interrogations

Kidnapping

Medical Scenes

Prison Scenes

Prostitution

  * Actual

  * Pretend




Pony Slave  
Punishment Scene

Religious Scenes

Rituals

Serving as;

  * Art

  * Ashtray

  * Furniture

  * Maid

  * Waitress




Skinny Dipping  
Standing in corner

 

Body Worship   
Erotic Dance  
Examinations

Homage (Worship with Tongue)

  * Foot

  * Boot

  * Cock

  * Body (Specify)




Massage

  * Giving

  * Receiving




Modelling (for Photos)

Shaving

  * Body Hair

  * Head hair




Waxing

 

 


	5. No Touching

Sanji made his way through the mall towards work, still absently thinking of last night and being able to hang with Zoro up on Whiskey Peak long after the sun had set and the sparkling city was the only thing lighting the whole valley. The walk back down the path had been a little eerie in the dark, and Sanji had silently thanked whatever God there was that there were no large bugs that lived in the Seattle area.

 

Zoro had dropped him off at his apartment and had shrewdly ignored Sanji's attempt to kiss him goodbye, instead he'd gotten a swiftly turned head and peck on the cheek for his efforts. Pouting had done nothing to help, only causing Zoro to laugh hysterically before giving a teasing wave and speeding off; leaving Sanji standing on the curb outside his apartment with a hand over his cheek and wide eyes watching the man drive away.

 

Hand idly coming up, he gently grazed the spot on his cheek where Zoro had kissed him, still able to perfectly picture those slightly chapped, thin lips sealed against his skin. It had been the most innocent, chaste kiss he had probably been given to date, and yet had somehow managed to promise so many filthy future experiences with those very same lips. Sanji didn't know how Zoro did it, but he could keep Sanji dangling with want from only a peck on the cheek, and turn him into a needy mess with just a quick sparring match.

 

A kiss on the cheek by the second date was fairly tame by Sanji's books, but he had already discarded much of his previous dating stereotypes when it came to Zoro. The man was a bit of an enigma. Certainly he was a Dom by nature, but he seemingly enjoying turning the whole thing into a game rather than just a simple act of sex. Being less than mentally stimulating was easily the deal breaker when it came to most partners, but the fact that Zoro was not only sexually experienced, but was also intellectually cunning made the whole scenario a million times better.

 

The pain and domination was definitely a large portion of what he enjoyed from the atmosphere that a BDSM relationship provided, however what had always managed to ruin it in the end for him was the execution. No brilliantly applied use of bondage, nothing incredibly imaginative, no mental manipulation that had him becoming a submissive mess. Yet, Zoro seemed to perfectly understand how the physiological aspect of a Dom/sub relationship worked.

 

So regardless of how slow Zoro was forcing them to take it, and how immature Sanji acted when Zoro withheld physical contact from him; in truth he wasn't angry at all. In all reality he was excited, growing in his curiosity of how Zoro wanted to play this game. It didn't take much guessing on Sanji's part to see that this was all a part of Zoro's master plan, to continually tease and coax Sanji along in this little game. Building him up with tension and want, taking him so close to the edge and then backing away, continually raising Sanji's hopes until Sanji would be lulled into a false sense of security, and then when the man finally made his move, Sanji would be completely unprepared and powerless to stop it.

 

And that was exactly what Sanji was craving: mental war play that would constantly have him guessing and never being able to expect anything from Zoro except for the completely unexpected. The list was a wonderful bonus, along with the different types of pain/pleasure that catered to Sanji's kinks, but above all else he couldn't stop himself from smiling smugly at the fact that Zoro was the perfect mental match for him.

 

Rounding a corner he narrowly avoided a fellow mall employee as his thoughts drifted from Zoro to the list that the man had given him the other night. Besides the time in the car, Sanji hadn't had any time to look at the list, but he was already getting some pretty wild ideas from what he had seen. Personally, he didn't know where he wanted Zoro to begin, and so he was honestly becoming less and less impatient with the man since Zoro obviously knew what he was doing. There must have been a way he weaned in new subs, and that meant that Sanji would just have to be patient and go along with Zoro's whims.

 

Though it wasn't about to stop Sanji from being as teasing and blatantly obvious as possible in his desire, despite Zoro being a stone wall. This only hardened Sanji's resolve because even though Zoro had promised to try and break him, Sanji was going to try his damnedest to break Zoro's iron will. The man may have had some experience in being a Dom and remaining vigilant, but he was still human and Sanji wanted to be responsible for making Zoro break as well.

 

However, as taunting as the list was, as impatient as Sanji was becoming, as deliciously exciting as the prospect of future sexual acts was, Sanji was enjoying the pace they were keeping. Granted, his sexual tension was on a constant high, but he was more than capable of putting up with it if it meant that in exchange he got something even more amazing. Even so despite being a little on edge, Sanji was more than happy with the end result of their date.

 

That didn't stop him for constantly fantasizing about the man though. Just imagining what it would be like to finally kiss the man was driving him up the wall. He hadn't been this obsessed with a first kiss since elementary school. Which made him wonder just how well Zoro was handling all of this? Zoro definitely had more experience; so did that mean he was less on edge than Sanji was? Did he constantly think about Sanji as much as he did about Zoro? The man had admitted to wanting to kiss him just as badly. Did that mean Zoro was barely restraining himself as well and just hiding it really well?

 

There were a million questions he wanted answers to, all of them pertaining to Zoro and what could possibly be going on inside that moss head's skull. Every bit of desire, weakness, and thrill he got from Sanji, the blond wanted to know about it all. Wanted to know how utterly consumed Zoro was by thoughts of Sanji as Sanji was about him. If only for a moment he wanted a peek inside the man's head to know just what he could be thinking!

 

But despite his frustrations a part of him didn't want to know. Having everything revealed to him would take away from the learning and excitement of the game. All the surprises Zoro had in store and the unexpected things that would eventually happened would be spoiled. So, even if he was offered the chance to know, he knew he wouldn't take it. That didn't stop him from still wondering about it constantly however.

 

Using his key card to get in the side entrance of the shop, he made his way past his locker and grabbed his blue employee shirt before making for the break room to clock in. Upon entering the staff room, a weird sort of air was over everyone as they crowded around the television set up on the corner desk of the room. Some news channel was playing and judging from the haunted and dark looks shadowing everyone's faces, the news wasn't good. Sliding up next to Ace he peeked over a colleague's shoulder to try and catch a glimpse of the screen.

 

“What happened?” Sanji asked in a hushed tone, not exactly sure why he was whispering but feeling that if he talked too loud he might get a scornful look sent his way.

 

“Another disappearance.” Ace murmured morosely, absently jerking his head toward the screen as a picture popped up. “The more people that go missing the more publicity the whole thing is getting.”

 

Managing to peer over a few shoulders he could make out a high school photo of a young brunette boy with wide eyes and a huge grin. Definitely older than his cheerful face appeared - the corners of his eyes crinkled in his wide toothed smile as he gazed at the camera. A weird yet adorable birthmark grazed the kid's nose and his brown hair was a complete mess as though he had just taken off his hat. The boy couldn't have been more than fourteen years old, and judging from the mournful look on the reporter – and everyone else's faces – the news regarding him wasn't good.

 

“H-him?” Sanji stuttered out slightly horrified.

 

Ace only nodded, frown creasing his brow as he was clearly becoming quietly enraged about the whole ordeal. An obviously shared sentiment as other people in the room quickly voiced opinions on the matter that was quickly escalating out of control. Two months and now four disappearances.

 

A few months ago the disappearances had started off; a young eccentric male had been snatched at some point in the afternoon without any witnesses. At first the speculation had been that the boy had run away, or gotten involved with the mob and simply been offed. Those had been the most popular theories until another young male had gone missing a few weeks later, in the same fashion without any traces left behind.

 

Sceptics arose; people still believed that perhaps it was simply a matter of street violence and teenager misbehaviour. However, after the recent disappearance of that young girl, Nami, it was becoming clear that this was less the work of vengeful mobsters, and most likely the planned work of some form of serial killer; or possibly a child abductor selling the youth as slaves on the black market.

 

“They said that his grandmother put him to bed around eight.” Ace explained numbly, “She went to check that he was sleeping not even an hour later and he was gone. Window broken, signs of a bit of a struggle, no leads whatsoever...”

 

“Fuck...” Sanji breathed out the word nervously, eyes shifting to the screen that still displayed the face of the young boy as the news reporter was preoccupied talking to the co-host about the whole situation. Those innocent eyes stared up from the screen in hauntingly terrible way as it slowly sunk in to not only Sanji, but everyone else in the room, that the boy was probably no longer alive.

 

The news was always littered with disasters, robberies, and murders. A constant concoction of bad publicity that most people were desensitized to the more brutal things that wound up being reported. But something like this happening so close to home, and to people so young, Sanji couldn't help but feel a little horrified over the whole thing as he focused his attention fully to the reporter.

 

“The police gave a statement earlier today, setting a recommended curfew for young teenagers and also suggesting several methods to reinforce house security.” The news reporter listed off quickly, “Here's the footage from this morning.”

 

The screen shifted, and video footage took over showing a rather crowded media gathering on the steps of the police department. The Chief of Police was standing behind a small podium, hair greying and eyes scanning the crowd tiredly as he gave his statement.

 

“As of now we have no current leads to report to the media, we do however believe that these disappearances are now connected and are starting a full scale investigation into the now four missing children.” Chief Smoker grumbled into one of the various microphones shoved under his chin. “Until further information can be obtained we suggest a nine o’clock curfew for children, and youth. This is recommended for adults as well. For the time being keep doors and windows locked at all times, set all alarm systems in your houses, and be aware.”

 

This statement caused an uproar of rushed questions from the surrounding reporters, the voices all drowning each other out before the footage cut out and the reporter appeared on screen once more, her false smile far too out of place for the current state of events.

 

“That was Chief Smoker of the Seattle Police Department,” She simpered quickly, “Please stay tuned for more updates as the story progresses.”

 

Program cutting out, commercials began to pop up on the screen as Ace swiftly snatched up the remote and turned the television off, effectively banishing some of the more distraught emotions connected to the news report in the process. Though, Sanji couldn't help but feel the same scepticism of everyone else in the room by Chief Smoker's words. The Chief was recommending people to stay in their houses, but it was already clear that whoever was behind this was breaking into houses anyway.

 

Setting an alarm would hardly do any good for a person whom was already skilled at snatching people without being seen. If anything, the report from the police was just to give the masses a false sense of security while really they had no idea what they were doing. After being in the system, Sanji had experienced first-hand how the government liked to lie and smooth things over to make everything seem like it wasn't actually not in control. In truth, the cops were probably just as horrified and clueless as the rest of Seattle.

 

“Alright!” Ace commanded loudly over the work room, drawing Sanji from his worried thoughts, “I agree that this whole thing is unsettling, but we do have to get out onto the floor; stores opens in five minutes. If any of the younger staff wish to change late night shifts to earlier day ones, let me know during your lunch break! I don't want any of you walking home late if I can help it.”

 

Several of the younger employees looked extremely relieved and Sanji had to bite his tongue out of sheer annoyance for this whole disappearance matter. Whoever was behind these terrible acts was becoming a disturbing thought to parents and youth alike. The fact that these kids now felt uncomfortable and unsafe in their home town was sad and sickening.

 

Following the rest of the staff out onto the floor, guilt ridden shivers began crawling up his spine as he thought about what he had been doing the other night. Sitting up on Whiskey Peak Look Out with Zoro, talking about their pasts and inappropriately flirting. That whole time that Sanji had sat on the railing, with Zoro beside him as they had tried to locate different buildings and landmarks of the distant city before them; they had been unwittingly staring out at the city as that little boy had been snatched from his home.

 

Unknowingly, they had witnessed that poor kid being stolen from his bed, and his life possibly ended; whether by being sold off or murdered. Staring down at the city, he and Zoro had been practically jovial as a possible murder was being committed.

 

How long would it be before it was someone he knew that would get snatched by this serial killer? What if he was on the list of future captures? How long would this go one before the person behind this was caught?

 

~X~

 

Sanji blinked tiredly as he gazed over the screen in front of him, judiciously ticking off the mental list he had compiled of things he needed to complete for Hogback's blackmail material. After the horribly disturbing task of going through the files to make sure that there was a few face shots of the man for solid evidence that it was in fact him that had broken into that morgue; he had set up the files in two proper areas.

 

Once Hogback's computer had been updated, Sanji put the files back onto the man's computer, keeping them hidden within the recesses of the man's hard drive so that he wouldn't stumble upon them, but if the police were to go searching for them; they would be easily accessible. The second set of photos was put on an inter-web hard drive, stored online so that neither Hogback nor anyone else could access them. These were the files that he then linked to an automatic email transmission that he could activate from his phone whenever he deemed it necessary to actually blackmail someone.

 

Using completely blocked IP-addresses, he kept all his blackmail material on the internet so that none of it could ever be traced back to him. The internet was like the international waters of the cyber world; if you murdered and shoved a man off the deck of a ship in international waters you could never be charged due to no one country owning that water. The exact same went for the internet, and as long as all that illegal info was safely stored there; his hands were always clean.

 

After having set up an automatically activated email, he had begun working on how he would communicate with Hogback in the store. Finding his phone number was easy enough, but since he had never had a conversation like this before, he could hardly predict the man's reactions like he would with his usual customers. Instead, he was opting for an actual chat with the man, since it would be much easier to just keep the conversation short and sweet.

 

With the number saved into the Scamming App, and a new blocked IP-address set up, he leaned back in his seat with a groan and rubbed at his tired eyes with his fingers. Staring at the computer screen had begun to cause an unhealthy ache in the bottom of his eyelids and he decided it was a good time to get up and make dinner. He'd been at this ordeal for the past three hours, so it was an amazing feeling to finally have this whole thing finished and set up.

 

Pushing himself up, he extended his arms above his head in an exaggerated stretch before making his way from his work desk and into the kitchen, pausing only to pick up the booklet Zoro had given him (as well as a pen), before making for the fridge and wrenching it open. Pulling out some Thai Noodle Box take-out, he threw the microwavable cardboard box into the microwave, punching in three minutes on the timer before turning back to the list in his hands and holding his pen aloft.

 

Admittedly, the list had been Sanji’s source of inspiration the entire day as he had promised himself that he wouldn't allow himself to go over it until he was finished with Hogback's blackmailing set up. In Zoro's car is had been entertaining to go through and immediately mark off the things he was extremely interested in and the things that were completely off limits in his books. But now he had time to spend mulling over the list and take the time to fondly think up some very entertaining imaginings to go along with some of the fetishes.

 

Blatantly displayed on the very first page of the booklet was the broad title of Equipment, with the secondary title underneath. Labelled ‘Tools’ it was a listing of all varieties of weapons, instruments, and erotic devices that could possibly be used in the bedroom (and a few that shouldn't). With such a diversity of erotic stimulus objects being all mentioned at once it became almost too easy to begin checking them all off one by one as he fell into a groove.

 

All the tools that inflicted pain had been immediately added to his YES list; whips and paddles being the first to be checked, as hot oils, ice cubes, and other such torturing objects quickly followed. The assortment of gags, dildos, and other insertion devices followed very shortly after as he took his time going over size rating, material, and vicinity use of each one. It turned out that simply liking a dildo wasn't enough; he had to specify if he was comfortable with being forced to use it publicly, which made him kind of nervous over the idea of Zoro forcing him to do something like that while going to work...

 

The single page of ‘Tools’ had already given him some very erotic fantasies for the night, and he eagerly moved onto the next category labelled, ‘Restraints’; another category that was once again completely okay with him. Most of it was straight forward bondage materials – ropes, cuffs, chains, spreaders – and aside from a few that sounded uncomfortable, he easily selected YES and rated each of them based on material and his proclivity towards them.

 

Next in the booklet was ‘Clothing Control’ – something that Sanji had already asked Zoro about – but know that he was actually going through the all the kinks listed in the category he was beginning to find some of them a little odd. There was some standard stuff like hoods, collars, lingerie, leather; most types of things you'd find in a bedroom setting, but beyond that, things were a little odd. Especially the clothing worship. Sanji had known that it was a common thing in some pornography for a guy to lick a girl's heels; however, he hadn't known that that was a specific kink.

 

After a bit of contemplation he snorted and circled YES for everything, though keeping the rating on the worship significantly lower. This whole thing with Zoro was about learning and exploring this community, not about being narrow-minded and shallow about certain fetishes. If it didn't immediately turn him off, then there was no harm in giving a certain kink a try. And at the rate he was filling up this checklist, Zoro might not even have time to glance at certain lowly marked fetishes anyway.

 

‘Structures’ was next on the list and had him pausing at a few as he realized he'd need to Google a few of them, and was excited that he was beginning to reach the parts of the list that he was unfamiliar with. It was oddly exciting to be dealing with things he'd never heard of before. Bypassing a few of the structures, he still made sure to quickly mark off whipping post as a definite YES. Sadi had already easily persuaded him that it was something that he thoroughly enjoyed.

 

As he flipped the page he ended up in the second section of the booklet, entitled ‘Discipline’. It now seemed that he was moving out of the realm of physical objects and toys and into the types of play that would be happening between them. Toys were more of a common knowledge thing; however the acts performed in the BDSM room were completely foreign ground for Sanji.

 

The first page consisted of ‘Sensory Deprivation’, all of which Sanji immediately marked down as YES's, before moving onto to the forms of Bondage. Most of it consisted of the intensity, duration, and place where the bondage would take place, as well as listing which parts of the body you were comfortable with being bound. There were a few forms he frowned at in confusion, before shrugging off and circling YES to them anyway.

 

The microwave beeped and Sanji absently pulled the box from the machine, grabbing a fork and making for the kitchen table as he scanned the next part of the list labelled ‘Marking’. That had his eyebrows drawing up in interest as he noted the top most being burning, cutting and piercing. Admittedly the thought of all of them were intriguing and more than a little arousing, though he wasn't sure how far Zoro might take any of them. Granted he'd always have the safe-word if Zoro took something too far.

 

As he took a bite of Thai noodles he chewed thoughtfully, before circling YES for each and giving an indifferent rating to each. Not necessarily caring if he was marked, but not entirely opposed to it if Zoro was into that kind of thing. He really was trying to mark YES for almost everything since he didn't want to selfishly mark off anything that Zoro might enjoy. Sanji wanted Zoro to be involved as much as he could be, and if he had to be a little open-minded about it then so be it.

 

Next on the list was the part Sanji had been waiting for the whole time, the list of specific ‘Pain’ plays. Bondage and arousal were essential parts to the whole thing, but ‘Pain’ was like the proverbial icing on the cake; making everything that much more intense, that much more utterly perfect.

 

Most were the basics; biting, scratching, cutting, spanking, and beating. All of which corresponded with items previously mentioned in the Tools list. After those however, there were a few Sanji had never heard of, like electrical play, and hypnotism. Wrestling was listed as well and Sanji immediately marked off that one, already very well aware of how amazingly arousing it was to spar with the man. By the time he was done he had easily checked off everything on the Pain list as well.

 

Moving onto the next section it was all about Sex. Types of sex, areas that could be involved and miscellaneous like exhibitionism and humiliation. After very little thought he managed to tick off most of them, excluding ones that were female specific and one's about trading Dom's or other partner switching. As interesting as it might be he was pretty attached to the idea of Zoro teaching him, and he wasn't about to let the guy go.

 

As he finished up his dinner he skimmed through the last couple categories, ‘Role Play’ and ‘Body Worship’; all of which were fairly generic and cliché in their listings, but none-the-less intriguing. Some were a little odd and demeaning, but he marked YES regardless and just put them at a very low rating. Once he had managed to finish up the last page he pulled back with a satisfied smirk as he looked over the whole booklet.

 

Finally finished, and it gave him and intense sense of excitement as he was one step closer to finally having Zoro in bed with him. Sanji still wasn't sure how long Zoro would make him wait once Sanji managed to give the booklet back to him, but he really hoped it wasn't too long. Despite how fun the waiting game might be, there were some things in the booklet that he already desperately wanted to try.

 

Setting the booklet down and pulling out his phone, he quickly brought up Zoro's number and messaged him;

 

**Finally finished the list ;)**

 

It didn't take too long before Zoro's reply bubble popped up.

 

**Really? Any questions?**

 

Sanji grinned, standing as he threw out the cardboard box from his dinner as he tossed his fork in the sink. Scooping the list up off the table as he typed back;

 

**Naw. I figured out most of it; there was just a few things I didn't understand. I'll Google them or something.**

 

**Wanna Skype? I'm just filing patient progress reports. I could answer some of those questions.**

 

Making his way into the living room Sanji couldn't help but grin at how unsubtle the man could be at times. He may have been a stone wall with his emotions, but when it came to flirting he was a bit too obvious. Plopping down in his swivel chair at his desk he opened up his laptop while replying,

 

**Sure.**

 

It wasn't long before Skype was booted up and Sanji was staring at Zoro, whom had that perfect 'just got home from work' look going on: hair a bit of mess from him constantly pulling on it in his thoughts as the thick rimmed spectacles were sliding partially down his nose. A ratty tank top hanging from his frame as his button down was no doubt thrown over the back of the chair or on the floor somewhere.

 

“So you finished the list?” Zoro grinned in interest.

 

“Yup.” Sanji grinned proudly, flashing the man the booklet that was in his hand. “There's only one or two things I need to fill out, but otherwise it's done.”

 

“What things didn't you get?”

 

“Ah.” Sanji hummed as he stalled, beginning to flip through the book, “Gimme a minute.”

 

After some quick searching while Zoro flipped through his own paper work on the other end of the chat, Sanji finally found the few pages that he wanted to ask about.

 

“Okay.” Sanji piped up, drawing Zoro's attention away from his work, “First was the electrical play and hypnotism. I mean I know they're self-explanatory, but at the same time not...”

 

“Well, hypnotism is exactly as it sounds.” Zoro mused, “Though I've never done it before so I'm pretty sure I'd be shit at it. And as for electrical; it varies on the intensity you want. I've seen some people use cattle prods, others just use electrotherapy machines.”

 

Sanji's eyes widened at the mention of cattle prod, not quite sure he was ready for something that intense, before asking, “What kind of machines?”

 

“Ah.” Zoro nodded before leaning out of view of the computer, grabbing something before coming back into view holding a small hand held machine aloft with two wires dangling from the end, “This thing.”

 

“You keep your toys right by the computer?” Sanji raised a surprised brow.

 

“No.” Zoro balked, looking slightly appalled, “They're used for physio to relax the injured muscles for patients.”

 

“Suuure.” Sanji drawled, smirking at Zoro's small moment of embarrassment as the man tossed the machine to the side and sent Sanji an unimpressed glare.

 

“Anything else?” Zoro grumbled as Sanji continued to watch the man with a broad, teasing grin.

 

“The others were all structures,” Sanji listed off absently, “like the Saint Andrews Cross, and the Horse.”

 

Embarrassment fading, Zoro rested his chin in his hand as he listened to Sanji list off the structures. Giving a small shrug he drew an ‘X’ in the air with his finger as he explained. “The cross is just a cross that you're tied to. Simple as that. The Horse is more of torture device; it was used in the Spanish Inquisition and tamed a bit for people who liked torture play.”

 

Mouth falling open gently at the description, Sanji made a small 'Ah' sound of understanding as he nodded and turned to the list. Quickly marking of which the ones he was comfortable with, and by how much he was willing to give them a try. Once he finished, he quickly flipped through one last time before giving an approving huff at the completed booklet. Setting it down proudly in front of himself he grinned up at Zoro.

 

“Perfect.” Sanji smirked, “All done. When can I give it to you?”

 

“Well, work is gonna be pretty hectic all week,” Zoro grimaced, “So I was hoping you might want to go out Friday? Then I could grab the list then?”

 

“Sure.” Sanji grinned broadly, “Where at?”

 

“Well what are you feeling up for?” Zoro shot back, “You want to do the movie thing, or go out and get drunk?”

 

“Hmm.” Sanji hummed in false thought, narrowing his eyes playfully, “I think I can already guess what you'd rather do. I'm up for getting shit faced; I don't have work Saturday.”

 

“Great.” Zoro grinned broadly, eyes falling to the list as a frown slightly creased his brow. “You only had a few questions regarding the booklet... You sure there wasn't anything else that confused you at all?”

 

“Naw.” Sanji shrugged, “It was all pretty self-explanatory. Though I do have one question left.”

 

“Shoot.”

 

“Once I give you the list, how long before we start using it?”

 

“Getting a little impatient?” Zoro enquired innocently.

 

“Oh jeez, what gave it away?” Sanji snorted rhetorically. “Was it something I said, or maybe the fact that I've literally thrown myself at you while you remain as devout as a nun?”

 

Sanji could tell Zoro was refraining from chuckling at Sanji's annoyed admission, instead only allowing the corner of his lip to quirk up in hilarity as his eyes watched Sanji critically. It was one of those looks Zoro got when he seemed to be mulling something over, or when he had been assessing that girl in the cafe. Like he was debating something while obviously trying to not let an inkling of it show on his face.

 

“You're a mouthy little shit.” Zoro finally muttered through a chuckle, Sanji's eyes narrowing at the statement as he tried to see what Zoro could have possibly been thinking about.

 

“Yeah, I am.” Sanji snapped, still scowling at the unreadable man. “What are you going to do about it?”

 

Instead of rising to the bait, Zoro just contemplated the words quietly before seemingly giving in to a whim and asking casually, “Do you own a tie?”

 

Sanji raised a questioning brow at the man, wondering where this sudden change of conversation came from and what a tie had to do with his previous threat. As always Zoro kept that thoughtful, yet unreadable look on his face, as though contemplating something. Sanji couldn't fathom why Zoro was asking; did the guy want him to dress up for their date or something? Frowning, Sanji cast a glance over his shoulder and gazed at his bedroom door, trying to picture everything in his closet before turning back to Zoro a little confused, “Uh, no. Why?”

 

“Cause I planned to gag you with it.” Zoro stated bluntly, casting Sanji a heated look before reaching out for something off screen and his hand came back into view with a pen in hand as the man scribbled something down on one of the forms, “Have to get you one at some point...”

 

Scowl vanishing as Sanji's eyebrows shot in his hairline, he was just glad surprise got to him before his embarrassment did so that he was able to fight off the blush in time. However he still remained staring wide eyed at Zoro as the sudden turn of conversation had him eagerly wondering if that was something Zoro planned on doing soon. If so, Sanji planned to talk even more than usual to annoy the hell out of the man. Before he could open his mouth to encourage Zoro to follow through on this however, Zoro continued on uninterrupted.

 

“For now go grab a scarf.” Zoro commanded simply, putting the pen down as he seemed happy with what he had just finished.

 

Shooting the man an incredulous look, Sanji idly wondered if the man was just going to request Sanji gag himself with the scarf instead. Though as much as that thought was a bit of a turn on, Sanji wasn't about to put a fluffy scarf in his mouth and end up with a hair ball because of it. However, the look Zoro sent him was silently persuasive and Sanji pushed himself up and went to retrieve one of his autumn scarves that he kept hanging by the front door for any chilly days. The soft polar-fleece had a dark blue plaid pattern to it with the ends frayed purposefully to look stylishly worn. Falling back into his chair in front of the computer he held up the piece of fabric while looking at Zoro expectantly.

 

“Put your headphones in.” Zoro ordered calmly, completely ignoring the scarf for the time being and only adding to Sanji's confusion.

 

“Okay...” Sanji conceded suspiciously, still not able to guess as to what the man was planning. Grabbing his stark white Apple headphones and plugging them in, hooking them properly into his ears before turning to look back up at Zoro, “Done.”

 

“Perfect.” Zoro smirked happily, and Sanji had to repress a shudder at how different it was having Zoro's voice whispered into his ears through the headphones instead of through the large computer speakers. For some reason it was infinitely more intimate and had him realizing just how much he enjoyed Zoro purring words into his ear.

 

Zoro however seemed completely oblivious to the small internal freak out Sanji was having over Zoro's voice, as his eyes scanned over Sanji calmly. He appeared to be looking and assessing Sanji while at the same time giving off a demeanour that stated he simply didn't care. It was becoming a little frustrating trying to read the man.

 

“Now blindfold yourself with the scarf.”

 

“E-excuse me?” Sanji stuttered, less opposed to what Zoro had suggested, and more confused with whether or not he had heard the man's instructions correctly. Wide eyed, he looked over Zoro's expression and tried to find some inkling that perhaps the man had been jesting, but Sanji only found a calm, patient expression directed his way.

 

Glancing down to the scarf he was holding he sent one last weary glance up at Zoro, before understanding the silent game that was already in play. Despite being a friendly Skype call, Zoro was already giving Sanji a tiny lesson in how he was no doubt supposed to respond to the man's orders. No repeating of his commands, no joking of what he wanted Sanji to do; this was like a little look into how Zoro would undoubtedly be acting in the bedroom.

 

Those dark eyes were still watching Sanji seriously, though Sanji could clearly detect the critical yet interested way Zoro watched Sanji and awaited his response. Not judging, but in the same way Sanji was assessing how Zoro was giving commands, Zoro was watching how Sanji reacted to the orders. It was interesting, he had never thought that their first moment like this would be over the internet, but he was far too curious to stop or ask questions.

 

Raising the soft scarf he placed it over his eyes, making sure it sat comfortably across the bridge of his nose before quickly tying it up behind his head. Cinching the knot tight before letting his hands slowly fall to his sides, mouth parting as he let a dry swallow work its way down his throat, he drew his tongue across parched lips in anticipation. Practically buzzing with excitement, he couldn't even fathom what Zoro had in store.

 

Sitting alone in his apartment, he was legitimately blind to his current surroundings as he could neither see nor hear what was going on around him. If someone else was in the room with him he'd never be able to tell. At the moment it was just him, the darkness due to the blindfold and the steady, reassuring breathing of Zoro as his voice could be heard through the headphones and echoing within his ears.

 

“I want to do a little listening exercise with you.” Zoro mused calmly, “You've already made it clear that you're going to be fairly disobedient, so before we get into any of the physical acts I want to make sure that you are able to listen properly and take orders.”

 

“Why now?” Sanji murmured lightly.

 

“Because I'm not there.” Zoro concluded simply. “If you misbehave, act out, not listen; you're only punishing yourself. I'll close the chat, and you won't physically have me there to try to antagonize.”

 

Sanji straightened a little at that and heard Zoro's rich chuckle echo in his ears softly. “Yes, I'm quite aware of how much you intend to try and get me to give in before I should. That's why we’re starting like this, separated.”

 

“Fine.” Sanji huffed lightly in his disappointment, though quickly dismissing his dismay as he was already intently interested in whatever Zoro currently had planned, “So what are we doing then?”

 

“I'm just going to talk, all I ask is that you listen, and hopefully,” Zoro stressed the last word, “follow my instructions properly.”

 

“'Kay.” Sanji agreed, nodding blindly, knowing that Zoro could see him despite him being unaware to what Zoro was doing on the screen. For all Sanji knew the man might not even be looking at the screen, but it didn't stop him from picturing Zoro watching him possessively as Sanji sat before him blind and obedient.

 

“First rule is that you do not take off the blindfold; if you do then the chat ends immediately and I won't finish.” Zoro listed off swiftly, “Got it?”

 

“Yes.” Sanji replied simply, though he was already itching to take the scarf off so that he could look at Zoro again. If Zoro was planning some sort of online sex chat then he very much wanted to be able to see while he participated.

 

“And second, no talking unless I say so or directly as you a question I want the answer to.” Zoro ordered calmly, soothing voice echoing in his ears, “Okay?”

 

Deciding to show that he was taking this seriously, Sanji kept his lips sealed as he simply nodded his head to Zoro's question, earning a pleased chuckle in return from the man.

 

“Good.” Zoro crooned, the grumbled word sounding far too erotic to Sanji than a simple word should, “You learn fast.”

 

Sanji remained quiet, not wanting to blow this in the first few minutes as he sat quietly waiting for whatever Zoro had planned. For the first few moments everything was darkness and silence as he could vaguely hear Zoro's soft breathing down the end of the headphones, as well as the shuffling of papers. If Zoro had blindfolded him just so that he could do his paperwork Sanji would kill the asshole.

 

The silence became stifling and Sanji was beginning to wonder if this was Zoro's odd way of punishing Sanji for earlier. Sanji wouldn't put it past the man to do something like this just to try and teach Sanji a lesson. It almost seemed like the kind of uneventful 'lesson' Zoro would pull to make Sanji obey him in the future. Sanji jumped lightly when Zoro started talking, and from the tone of the first word he knew that Zoro wasn't about to leave him hanging.

 

“When we first fuck I'm not going to do anything really intense to you.” Zoro started of quietly. “I'm going to ease you into everything by starting off with something simple. I'll probably blindfold you like right now, or maybe tie your wrists to the headboard... Maybe gag you depending on how chatty you're being...”

 

Sanji's breath stuttered out on his last exhale, slowly losing his calm as all his other senses shut down and he focused solely on the words being spoken into his ears. Nothing else around him mattering as he only quietly anticipated Zoro's next spoken words. Already tensing his hips in a small jerk as the notion of being tied up was getting him partially aroused.

 

“I'm going to spend so much time getting acquainted with your body.” Zoro groaned heavily into the microphone, his strained, gravelly voice echoing in Sanji's ears as he once more let out a shuddering gasp. “Exploring with my hands, my mouth, my tongue...”

 

Drawing his lower lip into his mouth Sanji quickly imagined just what Zoro would possibly be like while in bed. Tied to the headboard Sanji would sprawl on his back as Zoro would tower over him, roving over Sanji's body with an intentness that would have Sanji gasping and panting in moments. Sanji could already imagine the calloused hands stroking down his body, scratching at his skin, finding his sensitive areas with skillful touches and prods.

 

And that mouth. That sinful mouth that Sanji had fantasized about all week; Zoro would definitely be a biter. Those amazing, enticing teeth would nip and nibble at his body in ways that would have him squirming as the man would chuckle triumphantly in that damned smug way he always did. As Sanji let the small imagining fade way and brought himself back into the present he realized he was getting very near to being fully hard.

 

Whining quietly in his throat he bucked his hips slightly to try and accommodate for the sudden tightness that was squeezing his jeans around his thighs and confining his cock in unbearable pressure. A soft, rewarded chuckle echoed in Sanji's ears as he was starkly brought back to the notion that Zoro was  _watching_  him still, and was no doubt happy at Sanji's already pitiful state.

 

“I want to find what makes you tick.” Zoro crooned smugly, voice drifting across Sanji's body like a wave and causing a shiver to skitter across his skin, “What makes you squirm. And what makes you scream.”

 

Releasing his abused lower lip Sanji let out a panted gasp, hand moving for his jeans, needing to release his cock before the pattern of the zipper became imprinted on it. Fuck, but he shouldn't be this hard already. This was the buildup of months without a relationship, and then being forced into celibacy by the hottest damn Dom on the planet.

 

“Ah ah!” Zoro admonished quickly, his disapproving tone halting Sanji's hand in its tracks and causing a terrified whine to slip past his lips, “No touching.”

 

Hand shaking slightly, Sanji debated how bad it would really be if he disobeyed Zoro and touched himself. Sure Zoro would end the chat, but then he could finish himself off to the memory of Zoro's voice and surely that would be enough. Frozen for a moment as he debated the pros and cons, he slowly retracted his hand as he knew that despite how much fodder this was for future fantasy sessions, it wasn't nearly as good as if he finished listening to what Zoro had to say.

 

“Good.” Zoro purred happily in approval of Sanji's obedience, “Just for that I'll let you bring yourself off if you want, but no hands.”

 

Sanji's sex fogged brain floundered for a moment as he tried desperately to think of how it was possible to bring himself off without using his hands. It took another few panicked moments before he quickly thought of a little trick he'd learned as a teenager when he'd been bored. A weird handless trick that was meant to stimulate the thought that it was someone else touching him rather than himself – much like when you sat on your hand until it went numb so that it felt like another person jacking you off...

 

Keeping the button done up on his jeans, he slid the zipper down about a third of the way before managing to get part of his boxers through the hole. With the cotton padding the zipper he wrestled his cock through the hole and put his hands once more on the armrests of the chair so that Zoro could see that he wasn't touching himself.

 

Part of him was mortified that he so easily exposed himself like this in front of Zoro, but another part – a much larger part – didn't care at this point and just wanted to get himself off. And hell, if at the same time he managed to break Zoro's restraint a little bit than he would easily continue jacking off in front of the man as long as it ended with Zoro more frustrated than he was.

 

Abused lower lip back in his mouth he worried it with his teeth as he bucked his hips up and thrust himself out of his jeans. Not nearly as graceful as a hand, but still it more than got the job done as the confining ring of the cotton jeans was the perfect amount of pressure to stimulate the underside of his cock. Like a really tight hand, or perhaps a dry mouth. Strangely enough, it was more than enough to get him off.

 

With another jerking thrust his cock was able to work itself further from the confines of his jeans, it wasn't long before he had managed to get himself fully out and his aching cock rested against his abdomen. Twitching with each rocking motion of his hips, the jean hole providing the physical friction as the thought of Zoro watching through the camera provided the mental stimulation. Fuck, he wanted to see what Zoro looked like so bad right now!

 

An exerted exhale was the first sign of Zoro being there after several minutes and his hips paused in their movements as he clung to the needy sound desperately. Head snapping up to where he knew the camera was positioned, despite being unable to see it. When Zoro spoke his voice was drastically rougher and had Sanji shuddering once more, “Do you have any idea how bad I want you?”

 

Sanji wanted to talk, he wanted to scream that, 'Yes, he knew exactly how Zoro felt because he had been feeling this way all week and he was currently pleasuring himself in front of the other man. So maybe Zoro should stop being a stubborn tease and just get his ass over here already before Sanji jizzed himself.' Instead he kept his lips sealed – not wanting to lose Zoro's presence at this point – as he just nodded vigorously in response to Zoro's rhetorical question.

 

A thick swallow could be heard and Sanji once more started moving his hips, the tiny, slowly breaking breaths that Zoro was releasing more than enough fodder to bring himself off. As he once more continued his thrusting Zoro murmured thickly, “You're driving me insane with all your antics, ya know?”

 

“I don't think you even realize half the things you've done in the past few days that have made me want you.” Zoro chuckled softly, voice sounding more than a little strained. Sanji replied with a tense whine and clumsy, needy jerk of his hips, “I think about our fight constantly, about how I was able to handle your body. I stare at the mats regularly and picture what could have happened if I had followed through and just taken you there and then...”

 

“AH, Zo--” Catching himself at the last moment Sanji managed to clamp his teeth down on his lower lip to swiftly cut off any further noises he might accidentally slip past. Worrying his lip intently as he was now fully arching out of his chair as he continued to work diligently at bring himself to completion. The jeans hardly working anymore as they encircled the base of his cock and only really served to tighten and release with each buck of his hips.

 

However the small intermittent squeezing at the base of his cock was more than enough, and though there was still no physical contact between them as of yet, the power of Zoro's voice alone took everything to another level of sexual excitement. Bitten words with a chuckled tone shouldn't have been so arousing, but he was possibly harder than he had been any other time in his life and the man had done little more than talk a little and coax Sanji to bring himself off.

 

Body beginning to tense, hips arching forwards as he was slowly being brought to his peak, he could barely fathom how Zoro would handle him in person. If he could get Sanji this needy and hard while only talking to him through the phone, then in person Sanji couldn't guess as to what the man could be capable of. Hands gripping the armrest in a white knuckled grip, he could feel the strain in his arms as he refrained from giving in and just grasping his cock as the zipper was beginning to lose its effectiveness.

 

The zipper had begun to loosen in Sanji's franticness and he quickly reached down, zipping it back up once more so that the tightness returned and Sanji could feel the metal of the zip pressing through the cotton of his boxers and biting into the base of his cock. Just the right amount of pain that had him open mouth panting as he thrust his hips upwards, metal digging in, jeans tightening perfectly around the base, before lowering and the fabric would trail up his sensitive dick in a teasing caress.

 

Over and over he continued the desperate motion as he would literally feel his peak building in the base of his gut as the swollenness around his dick was becoming painful. Zoro's voice was a lull in the background that kept him going even though he had long ago been unable to focus on the words. However, he hadn't realized he'd been waiting for permission until it was given in the bitten form of a growl from Zoro, “Cum for me, Sanji...”

 

With a final painful jerk of his hips and Zoro's name stuttered across his lips, warmth bathed his stomach as his body tensed painfully, thighs twitching uncontrollably as he came hard. Body slumping back in the chair as he slowly recovered, shivers still wracking his body as he clung to the vestiges of euphoria for as long as possible before it would slowly begin to slip away.

 

Finally coming down from his high he numbly reached up with a shaking hand to pull off the scarf, the fleece not at all helping as a thin layer of sweat covered his forehead and eyes. Throwing the sweaty garment aside he disregarded his messy state to look up at the computer in expectant excitement.

 

It was quickly banished as he saw the dark screen and the note that Zoro had logged off moments before. Sanji couldn't help but scowl at the deceptive man, and he hoped to hell that Zoro had logged off because he had to go deal with his own stupid erection. A message blinked happy underneath Zoro's name and he opened it quickly, reading the innocent words with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

 

**I'll see you Friday ;)**

 

~X~

 

The rest of the week passed by fairly quickly, and he and Zoro were both stuck at work as they continued to text as though the Skype session had never happened. Zoro was clearly trying to keep Sanji from getting onto that path before they met again, and Sanji easily went along with it, more than satisfied at the moment to let Zoro keep the relationship innocent once again. For now he was somewhat appeased by knowing that Zoro had been just as impatient as Sanji had been to start things off.

 

However, that didn't stop him from impatiently watching the week go by as he anticipated Friday and all that could be involved with their date. It was their third date after all, so Sanji was hoping that Zoro had something in mind for afterwards. Not to mention they'd already technically done it over the phone, so why not in person now?

 

His days at work and breaks in the lunch room were spent staring off into space as he thought about all the possibilities; not to mention he could finally give the finished list to Zoro and set this whole thing into motion. The only thing that managed to at all distract him from the prospects of Friday night was Hogback.

 

It was now Thursday, and getting fairly late into the day as he waited lazily for Hogback to come pick up his laptop. Sanji had long since gotten over the creepiness of the whole thing and once more treated the scam as he did any other. The only wry bit of data in all his calculations was he wasn't exactly sure how Hogback would react to someone discovering his weird fetish. For all he knew the man might throw a fit, or possible admit to it in a panicked guilt; which could possibly lead to Sanji not being able to make any money off of him.

 

That small fact aside, he was pretty sure the whole thing would go relatively smoothly. If anything, with the major illegality and publicly frowned upon reason for the scamming, Sanji was sure that the man would give in without much effort. When dealing with someone cheating, it was a lot harder due to the fact that the person wasn't threatened with jail time for simply being a sleazy person. However, in Hogback's case, he could actually be tried and sent to jail for this little bit of information. With that in mind Sanji was confident that Hogback wasn't going to give him trouble.

 

When the man walked into the store Sanji immediately could tell that it was Hogback, just by the creepy air that hung about the man and the way he looked breathed something off about him. It wasn't necessarily obvious if you weren't looking for it, but Sanji had spent enough time finding people that had things to hide or hideous secrets and had gotten fairly good at picking them out of a crowd. He supposed it was similar to Zoro's knack for noticing injuries with the human body.

 

A rather portly man, Hogback made his way into the store, glancing around casually before making his way to the front counter. Beady eyes were concealed behind light adjusting spectacles that were a terrible knock off of John Lennon’s and that rested upon his large, Jewish nose. When he spoke his voice was just bordering on haughtily nasal, and Sanji had to refrain from punching the man in the throat.

 

“I'm here to pick up my laptop.” Hogback requested to Sanji, “It's under the last name, Hogback.”

 

“Right away, sir.” Sanji simpered with a smile, immediately making for the back room. The second he was behind the safety of the curtain he pointed his index and middle finger to his temple, replicating a gun with his hand, before jerking his head to the side as he faked shooting himself.

 

Ace, who'd been in the back, burst into laughter, “Customer troubles?”

 

“I hate nasally voices.” Sanji grumbled in annoyance, scooping the boxed up laptop off the back stock room shelves and tucking it under his arm, “Hate them.”

 

“Wanna talk bad customers?” Ace chuckled before faking a shudder, “Mothers.”

 

Sanji couldn't help but grin at that, agreeing completely as he pulled out his phone and opened up the Scamming App, bring up the option that allowed him to text Hogback from a blocked text address. As it loaded he made his way back out onto the floor and over to the waiting customer. Placing the box on the counter, he sent the first text to the man.

 

**I found the pictures of you in the morgue. You know exactly what I'm talking about.**

 

It took a moment for Hogback to even realize it was his phone buzzing, and when he pulled it out it was clear that it took a few seconds for the message to sink in. Sanji waited patiently as he wondered exactly how the man was going to respond; currently his top guess was that he might get a threat made on his life if he didn't hand the files over, or perhaps the man might even deny it.

 

Hogback slowly looked up at Sanji in cautious horror, and when Sanji only gave him a quirked smirk in confirmation the man practically fell apart.

 

“Ah, b-b-b-but!” The man exclaimed in clear shock, mouth working soundlessly for an argument or explanation that he was incapable of giving. Instead, he finally closed his mouth as he realized there was absolutely nothing he could say to change the matter.

 

Sanji could physically see all fight, resolve, and defiance drain from the man in a single moment. Shoulders slumping until the man was practically hunched over the counter, curling in on himself as his eyes gained this hollowness that breathed fear and anxiety, bottom lip quivering in no doubt several emotions as he seemed to almost have forgotten Sanji was there in his panic.

 

All at once the man sprung into motion, clasping Sanji's hands in a desperately clawed grip that had Sanji instantly wishing he could shy away. Wanting to seize his hands out of the man's filthy grasp, but somewhat frozen by the desperate way the man hissed, “Please don't tell anyone! My wife would leave me if she ever found out!”

 

“As she should.” Sanji muttered quietly, breaking his no talking rule, but nonetheless feeling compelled to respond to the man in person.

 

“I-I'll pay you!” Hogback scrambled, glancing around twitchily to see if anyone in the busy store had noticed their conversation, before hurriedly turning back to Sanji, “Name your price; whatever it takes to get you to delete all the evidence of that!”

 

Interesting...

 

Sanji mulled this unexpected reaction from the man over in his mind for a moment, more than a little shocked at how easy the man was making this. This wasn't how he had expected the whole situation to go down, though he was in no way complaining. Deciding to double his original offer, he tested the waters as he raised a curious brow and requested, “70 grand.”

 

Hogback looked decidedly horrified at first before swiftly brushing it aside and nodding vigorously, “Very well. Very well! Just get rid of all the evidence!”

 

Hogback was soon scuttling from the store to quickly go grab the money, leaving Sanji standing at the till a little shocked at how quickly the man had wanted to throw money at this problem. Not that Sanji was complaining, though he wondered if the man's salary would be able to cover the expense. Sanji had done a vague amount of research on the man's career history, only enough to find that he was a somewhat renown doctor and had fairly healthy pay check.

 

Sanji opened up the laptop, feeling a little odd about breaking his usual scamming routine but giving in and locating the files deep within the man's computer, deleting all the evidence with little trouble. By the time he had shut down the computer and returned it to its box, Hogback was back with an envelope, and looking severely flushed. Sanji absently wondered how fast the man had ran to the bank to procure the money as he slid the envelope under the counter so as not to look suspicious.

 

Sliding the box into a bag, Sanji handed it over to the man with a small smile, “All deleted.”

 

Shiftily glancing around Hogback then nodded and hissed, “Thank you.”

 

As the man exited the store Sanji idly smirked as he was glad that he hadn't revealed to the man the files that were currently saved to an un-locatable file system online. It was something the man wouldn't have to worry about, unless he ever came looking to get back at Sanji at some point in the future. As he slyly snuck the envelope in his back pocket he couldn't help but grin at how that had easily been the most simple scam he had done, not to mention one with the largest pay outs.

 

Hand stalling on the envelope now resting in his back pocket, he slowly lowered his hand as he picture the defeated look that had haunted the man's eyes in that brief moment that he thought his life was over. No doubt imagining Sanji had already called the police, or shown his wife, or any number of other life ruining possibilities. And instead of feeling justified, as he usually did, Sanji was just left feeling a little hollow himself.

 

Sure the man was a weird fuck, and he had done something that should no doubt be shamed for, but Sanji was beginning to lose that sense of reward he got for catching sick fucks like this. Instead he just felt a little guilty for causing such panic and strife in the lives of some of the people he had scammed.

 

Pulling his blue shirt down to hide the envelope, Sanji idly wondered when he had gone from being an uncaring teenager and begun to feel a weird sort of empathy for these people. Granted, there were still a couple cases where he felt right in what he did; like certain cases of cheating and embezzling. But now he was beginning to think that maybe it was time to give up on this whole childish game...

 

TBC...

 

 


	6. I Own This Body

Entering his apartment, Sanji discarded his backpack by swiftly throwing it in the general direction of the couch before popping the button on his work slacks. Tripping out of them while pulling his shirt over his head at the same time, he managed to get the leg off with a few ungraceful hops as he all but stumbled into the bathroom. Shirt tossed over his shoulder into the hallway he turned on the shower, working his boxers off at the same time.

 

Work had ended at six, and Zoro was coming to get him at eight, and after dealing with rush hour traffic on transit, he now had approximately thirty minutes to get ready and meet his Dom outside. Not that that was a lot of pressure, but considering he had been imagining this night for the past two weeks, and that he was more than determined to get the man into his bed; it was kind of important that he didn't look a wreck.

 

Stepping under the steaming spray he frowned at the feeling of grit under his feet, noting some dirt by the drain from a previous shower and wondering just how dirty he had been yesterday. Sweeping it down the drain with the side of his foot and a grunt of annoyance, he grabbed a bottle of shampoo from the shelf and made a mental note to make sure he cleaned himself thoroughly for Zoro.

 

After a curt, yet very thorough scrubbing and more than a little soap in his eyes and mouth, he jumped from the shower, towel around his waist as he made for the bedroom. Using a spare towel, Sanji worked his hair furiously as he used his foot to kick open the door to his closet and inspect what he had wear. As he looked over all of his clothes, his hands slowly stopped their drying as he became gradually aware of the nervousness that was building within him. At first Sanji had been excited about this moment, but now that it drew nearer he was becoming more and more apprehensive of it as the true reality of everything had sunken in.

 

Zoro had watched him jack off.

 

At the time it had seemed so natural, and even hot. What with Zoro whispering seductively into his ear and forcing him to blind fold himself; it had been downright erotic. But now he was going to meet the man face to face for the first time since orgasm-ing in front of him, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep a straight face let alone look the man in the eye. Though beyond his jittery sense of indignation at wanking in front of the man, he was even more annoyed at the fact that Zoro had, admittedly, made him break first.

 

It was a bit of a sting to his ego in regards to how competitive they had naturally become with each other. Though Zoro still had a long way to go before he actually broke Sanji completely in the bedroom setting, the man still had the upper hand after managing to get Sanji to give in to his little game on Monday. With that in mind Sanji had a completely renewed mind set as he stared down his closet.

 

Sure, Zoro got the first point; Sanji would concede that without a fuss. But now that Sanji had realized what the game truly was, he was back in it and just as eager to make Zoro give in as well. He'd already promised himself that he'd make Zoro break, and that was his plan for tonight. This time it was his turn to make the damned Dom give in, and then refuse to play along.

 

Pulling out his favourite pair of black clubbing jeans, he quickly threw them on the bed as a definite yes for the night. They were comfy, yet clung to his body in all the right places, accentuating his ass perfectly and making his legs look lean and long. He had yet to have a night where they didn't get him laid.

 

Shirts were a bit of a harder task as he couldn't quite label what Zoro's specific tastes were as of yet. Was the man more lenient towards casual, plain shirts that hugged the figure, or did he have a fancy kink for buttoned down boys? Eventually he settled on a low cut white shirt and a sleek black vest thrown over top. Leaving it unbuttoned gave a very casual look, but if they ended up somewhere classy he could always button it up.

 

Glancing at his bedside clock he noted he had about fifteen minutes and began stumbling into his clothes, mentally tallying what he had time to do before Zoro would be here. As he pulled on the shirt and made his way back into the bathroom he began as he shoved a toothpaste coated toothbrush in his cheek while simultaneously brushing his hair.

 

Deodorant, cologne, and a thorough tooth-brushing later Sanji was grabbing his black blazer as he bolted out the door and making for the entrance of the apartment complex. An annoyingly long elevator ride later and he was stepping out on to the elaborately decorated walkway leading up to the building. Finding Zoro already waiting for him by the complex sign, arms crossed and eyes turned skyward as he waited. When he heard Sanji approaching, he turned and eyed him up with a grin as Sanji instantly began to feel the palms of his hands grow sweaty.

 

Zoro looked... delicious, was the only word that would come to mind. Dressed up in what looked to be mostly Armani, jeans probably worth more than Sanji's monthly rent with a grey a white pinstriped shirt thrown on. His buttons were hardly done up as he seemed almost too lazy to even finish the task, or had purposefully left the top three undone to taunt Sanji. A simple black tie was thrown over top to complete the whole look, and Sanji was still heavily deciding if he was going for weary tax accountant or for the recently ravished high school teacher.

 

Either way, he wore it well and it was causing a large portion of the blond's resolve to fall away and leave him contemplating why he was even considering fighting against the man in the first place. Then that cocky smirk quirked the man's lips, flashing perfect teeth at him as his eyes spoke a million dirty things that Sanji knew the man would never say, and Sanji was instantly back in the game. Scowling and defiant, Sanji was going to prove the cocky idiot wrong.

 

“Nice to  _see_  you.” Zoro grinned cheekily, the emphasis he put on the word 'see' not at all missed by either party and Sanji scowled playfully in response, lips pursing lightly in a moue of disapproval. Though he would thoroughly deny it was pout.

 

“You too.” Sanji murmured slyly, making a show of smugly looking Zoro over as he remained standing comfortably, all previous nervousness about seeing the man after their encounter online vanishing. Instead, it was replaced by a renewed sense of vigour as he puffed his chest out proudly and stared Zoro down,

 

Previous insecurities gone, he stood easily in his own skin as he dearly hoped that Zoro was now the one thrown off. In fact, Sanji had an upper hand. Sure he was haunted by the other man's erotic voice, but that aside he was easily in control now. Zoro was now the one that had gotten a little taste of him and would no doubt want more. This was something that Sanji could probably easily use to his advantage if he played his cards right. It all had to do with the timing and execution, and he just might be able to make Zoro break without the man noticing that he had been manipulated.

“All ready?” Zoro asked simply.

 

“Ah.” Sanji paused for a moment, hands falling to his pockets as he patted himself down, mentally noting his wallet, phone, and house keys before nodding, “Yeah, all set.”

 

“Kay, this way.” Zoro inclined his head down the street, beginning to make his way as Sanji quickly fell into stride beside him, more than happily sending a glance to man's jean clad ass.

 

“No car?” Sanji enquired curiously as they made their way down the street and away from the apartment, a few street lamps already popping into life as the sun continued to set in the distance.

 

“Naw.” Zoro shook his head, “Didn't want to worry about parking and leaving it behind after having too many drinks. So bus instead. Then I was thinking a cab home. Okay by you?”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Sanji nodded, loving how easily that they had immediately settled into conversation and that the awkwardness Sanji had feared was non-existent. It gave him a huge boost of confidence to think that this companionship would continue to remain constant even as the relationship continued.

 

It wasn't long before they were at the bus stop that Sanji regularly ran to in the morning to catch to get to his work. Sanji rambling on about his day and the shitty reality that was customer service, as Zoro just listened and chuckled where was appropriate. It was something that Sanji had been learning more and more over the past two weeks with the man, but nevertheless found it endearing in the man; Zoro was a fantastic listener.

 

Sanji assumed that it was partially due to his work and constantly having to listen to people explain their injuries and their problems, but regardless the man was an observer by nature. Certainly confident and outspoken when he had to be – not to mention frustratingly sarcastic – but he was definitely a very watchful person; with the patience of a monk and a keen eye of a warrior. Sanji found him to be very similar to the cliché samurai in the movies that would sit quietly in a room full of people and learn more about them than you could ever do by talking to them.

 

Eventually Sanji prodded Zoro about his week and how hectic it had been, leading to him explaining that spring brought about an abhorrent amount of clients due to unsafe gym clientele that had run to the gym in January for their New Year’s resolution. Often it was bad backs and pulled ligaments from inappropriate use of gym equipment and it took a few weeks to get the person back into okay condition.

 

“I can't talk about specific clients however.” Zoro explained with a chuckle, “Doctor-patient confidentiality and all that; however I am allowed to claim about the general consensus.”

 

“Hey, it's technically customer service,” Sanji waved off the man's worry, “Complain about the general populous all you want.”

 

“Yeah, but I charge them for my time so they're much more inclined to behave.” Zoro pointed out.

 

“Wow, I wish.” Sanji scoffed, “I could spend an hour helping someone and still be paid the same as the guy who sits behind the counter and does nothing.”

 

“Life's shitty like that.” Zoro shrugged, “But you're more likely to be the one promoted than the lazy ass.”

 

“True.” Sanji conceded with a shrug.

 

“Oh shit.” Zoro muttered, conversation ending as his gaze shifted to the paper box and eyeing up the cover in shock. Sanji glanced over at what had the man so surprised and noted the same innocent face of the young boy that had been on the news yesterday. Though Zoro looked severely more shocked than anyone at work had by the news, “I  _knew_ him.”

 

“What?!” Sanji hushed incredulously, “How?”

 

“He came to my clinic for physio a few months ago.” Zoro explained hollowly, hand coming up to run through his thick green hair, pulling on the ends absently as he continued to stare at the paper brokenly, “Broken leg – you know how kids are... Shit.”

 

Sanji glanced helplessly between the paper and Zoro, wondering if perhaps they should just call it a day and not try to force themselves to go out. Especially if Zoro was just finding out that a friend of his had gone missing; the last thing he needed was to be the asshole that dragged the man out to go drinking.

 

“Hey, ah...” Sanji started awkwardly, chewing on the inside of his lip before continuing, “We can totally do this another time. I don't want to drag you out if you're feeling down...”

 

“Naw, it's okay.” Zoro glanced up at Sanji, a soft expression lighting up his features before his hand released his hair as he shoved it back into the pocket of his jeans. “I mean I didn't  _know_  him. I'd just met him a few times... It's still kinda screwed up though.”

 

“You sure?” Sanji pressed lightly.

 

“Yeah,” Zoro nodded through a small chuckle, “I'm sure. Your concern is kinda cute though.”

 

“Still this whole things getting out of hand.” Sanji stressed quietly, deciding to completely ignore Zoro's weird compliment. Avoiding eye contact with the man as he watched the bus as it made its way toward their stop. The large sign on the front blaring DOWNTOWN as Sanji could already see a large amount of people crowded on the bus.

 

“That is true.” Zoro agreed as he pulled some change from his pocket, “I don't think anyone expected a few disappearances to turn into something so bad.”

 

“Makes you wonder if the cops have got any leads on the whole thing yet...” Sanji mused worriedly as the bus came to a jerking halt, doors swiftly thrown open as he and Zoro climbed on. Making for the back of the bus where several seats were still unoccupied.

 

“Well, don't worry.” Zoro crooned in jest, obviously trying to lighten the mood, falling into a seat by the window, “I'll get you home safe after curfew.”

 

“Lucky me.” Sanji drawled with a roll of his eyes as he took a seat beside the man, noting the various other young women and men dressed up and obviously heading downtown for their Friday evening as well. With a lurching motion the bus was set into motion and Sanji took the few silent minutes to gaze around at the scandalously dressed females on the bus.

 

After several stops which proved to be comically dangerous, as each jerking stop made by the bus driver nearly had him slamming his face into the seat in front of him. They were soon downtown, traffic moving much slower and the stops less dramatic, though he kept a cautious hand braced on the seat in front of him as he turned to Zoro curiously.

 

“Where are we going by the way?” Sanji asked suddenly.

 

“Surprise.” Zoro grinned, throwing a wink his way as he continued to lounge cockily in his seat, careless despite how steady his eyes were glued to Sanji. “You'll like it though.”

 

“Considering we were just conversing about a serial killer, I don't know how open I am for surprises.” Sanji grinned playfully.

 

“It's a favourite club of mine.” Zoro corrected after a chuckle, “Trust me; you'll enjoy.”

 

A sceptical eye brow was all Sanji gave before giving a weary nod and muttering, “Alright.” Knowing full well he could poke and prod and bother the man for the whole ride and it would get him nowhere. Another amateurish lurching stop later and Zoro was motioning for Sanji to stand.

 

“This is our stop.” Zoro jerked his head, quickly pulling the yellow string to alert the bus to the stop as he already pulled himself up and motioned for Sanji to follow. It wasn't long until they were out on the sidewalk, and Sanji recognized the street as Red Line Boulevard. A particularly uptown area known for its music venues, casinos, sex shops, and bong stores. Every night the street came alive with flashing lights, illuminated signs, and all types of night life from stylishly dressed ladies heading to an upscale bar, or a shady man lurking in a back alley with a trench coat. It was the only place in the city where you got to see all the levels of society at once mingling together.

 

Zoro immediately set off down the street, making for a stretch of night clubs and bars, each with a different outside appearance that easily gave way to the type of people you would find within. After passing the first few that Sanji would have probably chosen to enter, Zoro guided them further along to a club that currently had no line up outside, and only a very gruff looking bouncer leaning by the door.

 

The exterior of the club hardly looked like he had been expecting it to, and it was also a place he never heard of before. Not that he went out drinking that often, but names of places got around pretty easily. Unlike the other clubs this place was devoid of a flashing neon sign of its name, nor shining beacon lights up into the sky to gain attention and more customers. Instead it seemed that the place was more of an underground club that spread by word of mouth.

 

Black, metallic panelling coated the outside giving the place a very futuristic yet dark feel, as the windows were decked out in strips of jail barring and leathery curtains hung within. The few lights that were outside the place were black lights, or dimly lit red ones that seemed more ominous than inviting. The sign was barely visible as the black lettering blended in almost perfectly to the backdrop, and read, 'Level 5.5'.

 

As Zoro passed by the bouncer, the man merely gave Zoro an assessing look before jerking his head and allowing him in, Sanji followed close behind preparing to dig out his wallet since he was still used to being I.D-ed. As much as he liked to think he looked older than he was, his goatee hardly gave him the few extra years needed to bypass the whole security issue when going out drinking.

 

However, his attempt to pull out his wallet was quickly waved off with disinterest as Zoro held open the door to the club, the large steel door that was before muffling the music, now allowing the heavy, raunchy bass to come flowing out. Stepping through he cast a quick glance back at the bouncer just before the door closed, long enough that he was able to catch the cheeky look sent his way. Curiosity spiked, the door closed on the man's face and they were swiftly sent into darkness as the only thing that could be discerned was the pounding music of the dance floor at the bottom of the stairs.

 

A strong, reassuring hand was placed to the small of his back and he was carefully guided down the stairs towards the club, Sanji's thoughts beginning to race as he wondered just what kind of place this was. The outside had looked very emo and dark, but a Scene club hardly seemed like a place Zoro would take them. But from the weird look the bouncer had sent his way, perhaps Zoro had decided on a gay club?

 

As they were beginning to reach the bottom of the stairs, Zoro's lips pressed intimately against the shell of Sanji's ear as he murmured over the loud music, “Welcome, to the other side.”

 

Reaching the bottom of the stairs and stepping into the club, Sanji couldn't have possibly prepared himself for the scene that would unfold before him even if he had tried. Everything he had been expecting was tossed out the window to be replaced with a severely dropped jaw of shock, wide disbelieving eyes, and an extremely inappropriate sense of arousal at everything the was currently going on around him.

 

Sanji had assumed that a place like this existed, but had never had the gall, nor the chance to go looking for such a club. And yet here they were, standing directly in the middle of what had to be the craziest depiction of a BDSM Club that Seattle had to offer.

 

Flashing lights of every assorted colour were blinking and flashing erratically, occasionally lighting up the dance floor that was littered with every kind of kink related persona the blond could possibly think of. Everything from leather clad, high heel wearing dominatrix's, to shirtless youth clearly drugged out of their mind. Large, hairy bear's to young twinks being tugged around by their collar. It was a veritable sweaty, dancing cocktail of every BDSM stereotype you could possibly imagine.

 

The stage was currently occupied with a sizeable DJ booth, though was clearly large enough for a band if required, chains and various inappropriate objects hung from the sound system as a large Bear lurked behind it. Headphones seated over his meaty head, leather suspenders clasped to his sweaty body, and hands flying across the board as he continued to blast out the raunchy techno music that was responsible for the large amount of illicit sexual acts of public nudity currently taking place on the dance floor.

 

Bordering the large man on stage were two cages, the bars streaked with paint that was currently glowing under the effects of the black lights strategically placed around the room. The same lights lighting up the young twink in the left cage who had covered his near naked body in the same glowing paint to make himself look like a skeleton. Glowing hands grasped the bars as he writhed to the music while several enthusiastic club goers pawed at the bars to try and get a feel of the man. The same thing was taking place with the right cage; however a young woman was placed within, getting the same amount of attention for her sexual movements.

 

Gaze shifting around the room he noted other raised podiums throughout the place with cylindrical cages rising out of them to encase which ever dancer was trapped within. Man or woman, both were present in various states of undress as they danced within, bodies glowing like some form of erotic lava lamp. Chains and collars hanging from some as they gave off a very submissive air, as others were coated in suits of leather or skimpy corsets; stalking about their cages like a confined dominatrix.

 

The bar was just as decked out, with the wall behind alight with various glowing lights and several glow-in-the-dark dildos placed strategically between bottles of alcohol. A waterfall fell behind the assorted bottles while to the left of the case was a large Saint Andrew's Cross bolted to the wall as a young girl in hardly any clothing was chained to it and dancing to the music. Obviously she was a show for the people at the bar so they had something to ogle while drinking.

 

The bartenders were just as erotically dressed as everyone else in the place; leather brassieres and skirts on the women with the occasional corset, and the men in a leather speedo. A few had collars, and handcuffs, for obvious aesthetic value, and it seemed that they tried to keep a variety of workers behind the bar to keep every taste satisfied.

 

It was when Sanji's gaze began to double back to take in everything he was witnessing that he felt a warm finger was placed under his jaw, forcing his mouth shut while Zoro chuckled into his ear, “Careful. You'll catch flies.”

 

A witty remark would have easily been supplied, but Sanji was still in slight shock at the amount of sexuality and adultery that was currently being displayed all around him. Zoro began to make his way across the least crowded area of the dance floor, and Sanji quickly followed along after as he wondered where the hell Zoro planned to go first in this huge house of debauchery.

 

Up a set of stairs, and nearly getting mauled by an overly touchy Daddy, and Zoro finally guided them to a booth on the second floor that over looked the craziness taking place on the dance floor below; already waving over a waiter while Sanji knelt over the railing to look down at the depraved scene below him. Still in silent shock over everything he was seeing; already realizing that there were several things in this community that he hadn't known about, and had definitely hadn't known he was aroused by.

 

“Hey, Mr. Roronoa!” A young voice shouted, causing Sanji's head to whip around at the pink haired man currently making his way towards their booth. Colorful hairband keeping his hair out of his adorable wide eyes, dressed like the rest of the staff in practically no clothes while sporting several leather bondage straps laced across his chest.

 

“Yo, Coby.” Zoro grinned amiably, “How's the back?”

 

“A lot better.” The young twink chuckled happily, completely ignoring Sanji as the blond looked back and forth between the two in shock. Surely this Coby wasn't referring to... “Anyway, what can I get for ya tonight?”

 

“A few beers for now, and a scotch on the rocks.” Zoro grinned, “Some shots later perhaps.”

 

“Right away.” Coby perked up happily, scribbling it down on the small noted pad he had with him before making for the next tables’ orders. Sanji watched him leave with a small sense of indignation and jealously swelling in his gut, the kid had the gall to pretend he wasn't even here and on top of that it seemed that Zoro had obviously had some previous contact with the boy.

 

“So...” Sanji started off calmly, trying not to appear the least bit jealous. He'd known that Zoro was experienced in this whole community, so obviously he had slept around – not to mention this was his favourite club for fuck's sake – it would be foolish to get jealous over past conquests. “That a previous sub of yours?”

 

“Hm?” Zoro arched a confused eyebrow, casting a glance at the retreating Coby before clearly playing the previous conversation over in his head. A second later the Dom was hunched over laughing, practically wiping tears away as he managed, “God no. He came to my clinic with a pulled back; he'd messed it up on one of his dance shifts.”

 

“Oh.” Sanji muttered quietly, suddenly feeling incredibly foolish over his small bout of jealously. Damn, but he should've just kept his mouth shut.

 

Lip quirking up in a large, taunting grin Zoro murmured over the music, “Were you jealous?”

 

“Like hell.” Sanji snapped indignantly, refusing to let the man know just how much the interaction had unnerved him. There was no way he was going to turn into some weird jealous freak over Zoro's past conquests, that would just seem lame and petty.

 

Smirk growing wider, Zoro threw an arm over the back of the booth and relaxing comfortably as he accused through a shit eating grin, “You totally were.”

 

“I'll break your jaw if you don't stop talking.” Sanji warned, though the threat was empty and instead he found himself struggling not to laugh through his own threat.

 

“Oh yeah?” Zoro urged lightly, arm coming down to hook around Sanji's neck and pull him in closer. Sanji did everything in his power to lean away, until eventually Zoro just moved to sit beside him, chuckling into his ear so that he could be heard over the loud music, “I'd like to see you try.”

 

“I already kicked your face in once,” Sanji huffed, “I'll gladly do it again.”

 

“Hm, hot.” Zoro grunted into his hair, smirk still tugging at his lips. “Is foreplay always like this with you?”

 

“You might never know.” Sanji sniffed haughtily, turning his head as far from Zoro as he could manage, trying desperately not to think about if Zoro actually meant the 'foreplay' comment or not.

 

“Is that a threat?” Zoro balked lightly.

 

Sanji turned back, mouth open with a sarcastic retort as the words died in his throat upon seeing the pink haired waiter back at their booth, effectively ruining the moment and Sanji's good mood, as Coby once more addressed Zoro while completely ignoring Sanji. Placing the beers down on the table, he gave a courteous smile before turning and leaving without giving Sanji so much as a glance. Not that he cared, but it seemed like he had done something to piss the guy off when he didn't even know him. Perhaps the boy had a crush on the hot physiotherapist; he wouldn't put it past the kid...

 

“See!” Sanji implored after Coby was well out of ear shot, “It's not that I care, but he did kinda ignore me. How else am I supposed to take that?”

 

“Ah, sorry.” Zoro chuckled guiltily, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck, “My fault; should have told ya. It's a weird policy they have here. When they see a sub with a Dom, they usually don't acknowledge the sub since a lot of relationships usually conform to the sub being controlled in these types of surroundings.”

 

“Really?” Sanji raised a brow, his previous annoyance slowly fading as curiosity took over, “Why only here?”

 

“Well most people don't always want to continue the roleplay in their everyday lives, but they like the voyeurism factor. So at clubs like this, it's kinda treated like the bedroom so a lot of the same rules apply.”

 

Sanji sent a glance to the dance floor, noting the amount of debauchery currently taking place and muttering, “Yeah, I can see that.”

 

“But if you wanna order, totally just tell him your order.” Zoro assured, “Coby's a good guy; he's just doing his job.”

 

Previous jealousy and insecurities thrown out the window, Sanji suddenly felt a little foolish for jumping to conclusions. He kept forgetting that this community he was in was a lot different than every day society, and often the rules were drastically changed. Snatching up his beer, he took several large swigs to down his embarrassment at being so immature and instead turning his attention back to the dance floor below.

 

At first the whole place had been overwhelming in its intensity, but as he was able to calmly inspect the place from a high vantage point he was able to see that things weren't nearly as scandalous as he had previously suspected. In fact as he glanced over the crowd it soon became easy to note the few people that were obviously new to the club, much as Sanji was. Wearing jeans, or shirts that were a bit too ordinary for the place, more interested in the people around them than they were with just simply getting drunk.

 

Though despite the fact that these people where no doubt in the same boat Sanji was, it made him realize how obtusely he stuck out in the club. Even though he and these other people were dressed 'normal' they stuck out like a sore thumb when surrounded by all these other people that may have been a bit more naked, but all were in the same state of undress.

 

Now realizing how ridiculous he probably looked he chuckled nervously as he muttered, “I suddenly feel overdressed.”

 

“Don't be.” Zoro barked through a laugh. “The fewer clothes you have the more you're inviting people to maul you.”

 

“And we don't want that...” Sanji drawled with a sarcastic huff, eyes following a young woman that walked by their booth; rocking heels that looked impossible to walk in as she was dressed up in ample amounts of leather that was shining with the multi-coloured lights currently flashing within the club. The devious look that was flicked his way was more than enough to make Sanji start to drool as he idly wondered if the outfit was for show or not.

 

A strong hand gripped his jaw, dragging back him back to face Zoro as the Dom muttered through a smirk, “No, we do not.”

 

“Fine.” Sanji returned the playful grin, despite Zoro's thumb still pressing into his cheek as he snapped cheekily, “Though it's not my fault for getting eyed up.”

 

“Yeah?” Zoro snorted, hand releasing his grip as he raised his tumbler to take a swig, “And why do you think that is?”

 

Sensing a trap, Sanji narrowed his eyes and asked cautiously, “Why?”

 

“You're the perfect example of a hot blond twink.” Zoro implored with an appreciative glance, “You could easily be in one of those cages down there.”

 

“Thanks.” Sanji scoffed as he took another swig of his beer, not quite sure if he should be taking that as a compliment or not. Bottle poised at his lips he paused as a though slowly began to dawn on him as he thought back to the weird look he had been given by the bouncer earlier that evening, “Wait...”

 

“What?” Zoro grunted.

 

Sanji murmured slowly, “So the reason I wasn't I.D-ed at the door...?”

 

“It's like when woman are ushered into clubs above men.” Zoro explained with a grin, realizing where Sanji's train of thought had taken him and obviously enjoying the results of Sanji's scandalized expression. “Need the subs.”

 

“Oh jeez,” Sanji huffed with a dramatic roll of his eyes, “Thanks. Nice to know I'm just a piece of meat here.”

 

“Well, it's also ‘cause you were with me.” Zoro grunted. “Most often couples are allowed through. It's not really fair to let the Dom in without the sub.”

 

Nodding slowly he accepted what Zoro had said as a much more heavy idea permeated his thoughts. They had of course been official for a week now, but to hear Zoro say it out loud and with such casualness; it really brought into clarity how real the whole situation was now. They were really moving past the awkward texting and innocent Skype-ing stage, and were now actually treating this like an official BDSM relationship; it gave Sanji a twinge of giddiness.

 

Shaking off his odd bit of teenage excitement, he asked about the other thing that had been bothering him, “So you seem to know a lot of people here...”

 

“Eh, a few.” Zoro shrugged as he nodded at one of the bouncers, “Small community, you get to know the main people.”

 

“But you said this was your favourite club.” Sanji prodded, “Does that mean you come here a lot?”

 

“Not a lot.” Zoro chuckled, “I don't get out that much. By favourite I meant it's the best in town.”

 

“Yeah, sure, sure.” Sanji waved a dismissive hand, finishing off the rest of his beer while Zoro sent him an unimpressed glare.

“I bet you even know the dancers by name.”

 

“Naw.” Zoro shook his head, not going for the bait as he grumbled, “I'm not much for the conversation here.”

 

As Zoro took an innocent drink from his glass Sanji tried to see if the man meant something inappropriate, but was quickly interrupted once more by Coby appearing at the table. As the young pinked haired twink eagerly asked how Zoro's drink was doing, Sanji's theory about the boy possibly liking the man was becoming more and more likely. When the kid laughed and his hand gently touched the Dom's shoulder Sanji decided to put a stop to the whole thing before he'd have to resort to kicks.

 

“Can I get a round of shots?” Sanji interjected suddenly, “Morgan's please.”

 

A curious look passed across Coby's face as he obviously was shocked at the fact that Sanji was allowed to speak, a quick glance sent Zoro's way, before nodding happily and taking the order. As the boy left Sanji couldn't help but snort quietly at the kid's daring, and also in slight awe of the kid's audacity. Like hell he was going to sit here and let some kid flirt with his Dom.

 

The look Zoro sent him however was knowing, but the man remained thankfully silent so Sanji wouldn't have to deal with admitting to his jealousy. It might have also had to do with his threat to kick the man in face, but he doubted Zoro would be threatened by something like that. Writing off the whole conversation, he cast a glance behind him at the dance floor, once more looking over the whole scene before frowning as he noted a rather large steel door hidden at the back of the room. A bouncer standing in front of it as a group of rather promiscuously clad people, along with a few fancily dressed men, were waiting to get in.

 

“What's down there?” Sanji enquired curiously, watching the somewhat suspicious display of money transferring hands before the door was unlocked and the small group was ushered inside. If Sanji didn't know any better he'd assumed that some form of drug/mafia situation was taking place downstairs; he'd seen enough movies to know how things like this went down.

 

“Hm?” Zoro grunted casually, tossing a glance over his shoulder to watch the odd display before turning back to his drink, completely unperturbed by it, “That's the viewing rooms.”

 

“Viewing rooms...?” Sanji asked cautiously, mind already sent off on a tangent of what could possibly be going on beyond those walls. If it was anything like the rest of this place it was most likely unsightly, “I'm afraid to ask...”

 

“It's kinda like a strip club, but way more scandalous.” Zoro explained through a cheeky smirk. “People rent out their subs, or put on a show, or sometimes they do a demonstration of a new toy or something like that.”

 

“You mean people have sex down there?!” Sanji practically shrieked, wishing more than ever his beer wasn't empty because he was hardly drunk enough yet to hear about these kinds of things.

 

“Sometimes.” Zoro shrugged as though it were the most natural thing in the world. “It's a Saturday so they're probably either trading subs or having a large toy display.”

 

“That's so weird...” Sanji muttered, slowly shaking his head as he wondered if he was saying it because he was trying to convince his betraying body that it shouldn't have been arousing; and while a deep seated part of him was mortified by the idea of what could possibly take place in that room, a large part of him was infinitely more curious.

 

“Don't worry; we're not going to do that,” Zoro reassured with a quickly raised hand, “I just thought it'd be fun to show you a bit of the night life within the community.”

 

“It's definitely interesting.” Sanji mused, once more back to gazing at the hypnotic sight of the entire room, unable to pick a single thing to focus on.

 

“I knew you'd enjoy it.” Zoro muttered in satisfaction.

 

“So if this place existed,” Sanji glanced at Zoro in confusion, “Why were you on a dating site?”

 

“When have you ever had a reliable relationship with someone you hooked up with at a bar?” Zoro shot back easily. “It's much easier to get to know someone first and then decide if they're worth it or not.”

 

“Aw.” Sanji crooned with a mocking tone, hand coming up over his heart in false pretence of being touched by the man's words, “That's so sweet.”

 

Zoro's deadpanned expression spoke exactly what the man thought about the whole situation and so naturally Sanji continued to goad him. It was always entertaining getting the man on the ropes, and could easily see why Zoro enjoyed riling him up all the time. Besides being fun, it was also terribly rewarding. Just as he was sure he was going to get punched for trying to tickle the man, their drinks arrived in the form of the pink haired nuisance whom quickly left upon Sanji's suspicious glare.

 

Three shots fired down at once, and a large beer sitting in him and Sanji was increasingly less intimidated by the people within the club and becoming more and more interested in the dance floor. Though he still considered himself far too dressed for the current situation, and it took little coaxing from his drunken brain to shed his shirt and leave only the black vest in place. Looping his shirt through a belt loop he edged his way out of the booth and pushed himself to his feet.

 

More than satisfied with the heated look Zoro was passing over his nearly naked torso, Sanji tangled a hand in that all too convenient tie as he pulled Zoro urgently, “Come on. Let's go dance.”

 

“Ah...” Zoro groaned uncomfortably, “It's not really my thing.”

 

“Well, it's gonna become your thing.” Sanji promised with a cheeky grin, tugging sharply on his tie and urging him out of the booth, “Now stand up!”

 

Despite his reluctant outward attitude, Sanji could easy see how quickly the man gave into the idea, and it became less a matter of dragging the man out to the dance floor, and more simply guiding him with his hold on that thin black tie. Not wanting to get too drowned out by the crowd, Sanji lead them to the edge of where the crowd was starting to get a bit too crowded. Taking enjoyment in the extra space that was given to them on the border of the mosh pit of club goers.

 

The alcohol in his system quickly took control as his initial intimidation of the more scandalously clad, more frequent club goers vanished to soon be replaced by primal movements. Instinctively turning and pressing himself up against Zoro and grinding his hips in perfect timing to the raunchy beats currently being blasted through the sound system.

 

Regardless of Zoro's previous statement, the man definitely knew how to dance and had perfect hip control. There was no awkward moment of trying to match each other’s pace, Zoro immediately found the groove that Sanji was rolling his body to and fell right in with little coaxing. Not leading, but easily keeping up with Sanji's pace so that each grind was met with an equally eager roll from his Dom's hips.

 

It was still obvious however that the man was restraining himself for reasons that were beyond Sanji's comprehension and he decided to take things into his own hands, forcefully taking a grip on Zoro's wrists and pulling his hands up to grip Sanji's naked waist. Already sweaty from the few minutes of grinding in the middle of the wanton crowd, everything was slowly becoming a blur of flashing lights and hot sensations.

 

Continuing with his playful grinding he worked a thigh between Zoro's legs as he held nothing back while abusing Zoro's leg like some stripper pole, the while continually dragging Zoro's hands up his body, forcing the man to touch him in ways that he was still refusing to do. A victorious smirk slid into place on Sanji's face as he pulled Zoro's hands up and under his barely concealing waist coat, revelling in the small curse barely heard over the music and the way Zoro's hands tightened possessively.

 

In no time at all Zoro had drunkenly given, pulling their bodies impossibly closer as he buried his face into the crook of Sanji's neck, thoughts seeming to cease as all that was left were those hands roving over his body like Sanji had always imagined. Just like in his dream those calloused fingertips caressed and grabbed at his body, sliding across his skin as the sweat made it hard to get a grip, and yet made it so much better.

 

Head tipping back he let his own hands mindlessly wander over Zoro's body, the booze in his system continuing to shut down all thought and leave only sensation behind. The pounding music that beat at his ears and reverberated across his skin, the flashing lights that were still visible despite his closed eyes and causing bursts of multicoloured light behind his eyelids, the rough friction of his jeans sliding across his skin as the dancing was having more than just a little effect on him, and the heady smell of alcohol, sweat, and Zoro's cologne that overwhelmed everything else.

 

Hours or minutes could've passed as he remained in this haze, simply enjoying finally getting Zoro in his arms and being able to touch the damn vexing man. It was when a second presence pressed into him from behind that he was roughly dragged from his drunken haze and forced back into the reality of the club and the man currently grinding into him from behind. Eyes wide as he stared at Zoro whom only sent the man a humoured smirk.

 

Movements slowing, Zoro leaned forward, whispering something into the red haired man's ear before pulling away with a challenging smirk. Sanji drunkenly watched the display wearily, wondering what the Dom could possibly be up to. Sanji was immediately given his answer as Zoro completely pulled away from him and left him in the grasp of the oddly dressed, overbearing red head.

 

The complete loss of Zoro had him nervously stopping his own movements as he watched his Dom walked away, and the other man pull him in uncomfortably close. Sanji scowled as he wondered if it was once again one of Zoro's odd tests and he turned back to look up at the man he had just been left with.

 

Fiery red hair that was standing up in every direction was pushed back even farther by a pair of goggles resting on the man's forehead. Completely shirtless as he wore nothing but a pair of black and oddly yellow spotted pants, and a blue scarf tied around his waist for some odd reason. Thick black eye liner rimmed the man's eyes and made him look enticing in the flashing lights. The man was definitely hot in a weird way, and as he noted Zoro at the bar ordering a drink he indignantly decided to follow through on this odd challenge.

 

At first it was completely horrifying and degrading as he cast a weary glance over his shoulder at Zoro whom had already taken up a place at the bar, elbow leaning on the counter as he watched Sanji with a challenging smirk. That grin irked Sanji to his very core and once more relying on the alcohol in his system he let his inhibitions go and turned to the man currently grinding up against him.

 

Closing his eyes he let himself picture Zoro instead of the stranger and quickly applied everything he had previously been doing to drive Zoro crazy on the other man. The man responded properly, his hands getting a little too grabby for Sanji's tastes but ignoring it as he turned and pressed his back fully up against the man's chest, sending a sly glance at Zoro through his lashes.

 

Zoro's original look of humour had begun to fade until eventually there was just thinly veiled annoyance and Sanji couldn't help but smirk triumphantly at the man. Taking that as a sign of his victory he continued to grind up unnecessarily against the red head, enjoying the last few verses of the song before the music began to trail off. Sanji couldn`t stop himself from grinning smugly at Zoro the entire time and the moment the song ended the Dom was storming across the floor and bearing down on Sanji with a look that Sanji hoped meant he'd be punished appropriately.

 

“I thought...” The red head started to defend hotly, not entirely happy that Sanji had been ripped away from him.

 

An undignified snorted shook Sanji as he started to open his mouth to state just how sorely wrong the man was about that, when he was quickly cut off by the annoyed voice of the green-haired man. Hand coming across Sanji's chest and manoeuvring him behind Zoro as he stepped forward challengingly.

 

“For the dance. Only.” Zoro gritted out, already pushing Sanji away and towards the bar as he sent a final glare and made his way behind Sanji.

 

“Oooh~” Sanji crooned smugly, “I think that's the most possessive I've ever seen you. You're pretty adorable when all riled up and huffy.”

 

“Shut up and put your shirt back on.” Zoro countered gruffly, taking a seat on one of the bar stools and leaning his elbows on the bar.

 

Sanji considered the request before shaking his head with a playful grin, “No. I know for a fact that you prefer me without; so it's staying off.”

 

Zoro's mouth opened, clearly ready to argue back before his eyes lowered and his mouth slowly closed. A small chuckle shook his frame before he muttered, “You keep surprising me.”

 

Cocking an eyebrow Sanji waved down the barkeep, “How so?”

 

Still leaning against the bar Zoro shrugged, remaining silent as Sanji ordered another round of shots before finally grunting, “It's just... every time I expect you to walk away; you don't.”

 

“What'd you mean?” Sanji frowned, sending an absent nod to the bartender as he left several shot glasses filled with Morgan's in front of him.

 

“Like on Monday.” Zoro urged adamantly, looking up at Sanji as he mentioned the Skype call that had since remained unspoken between them, “I thought you'd tell me to shove it, or at least break and talk! I didn't expect you to just full on commit to the whole thing!”

 

“You told me not to talk!” A blush lit up Sanji's face before he began sputtering indignantly, “What'd you expect to happen?”

 

“Sure as hell not for you to jack off in front of me!”

 

“You enjoyed it.” Sanji spat back ruthlessly.

 

“Of course I did!” Zoro shouted back, causing Sanji to stop in his tracks as he reached for a shot glass and send a wide eyed glance Zoro's way. The man blubbered a bit, hand coming up to pull on his hair nervously before grumbling, “I just didn't expect you to follow through.”

 

Sanji couldn't find the words to reply, so he scooped up one of the shot glasses, tossing the rum back and slamming the glass down on the counter. Hoping he could blame the embarrassed flush on his cheeks on the alcohol instead of on the fact that he was silently freaking out over Zoro admitting to enjoying the whole thing.

 

“Of course I was going to.” Sanji finally snapped, “I'm not going to back down from a challenge, and certainly not one from you.”

 

“Well I know that  _now._ ” Zoro drawled with a roll of his eyes. “But really, I did not think you would follow through on dancing with that guy.”

 

“And why not?” Sanji scoffed, “You seem to love seeing how far you can make people go.”

 

“No, it's just...” Zoro trailed off with a sigh, shaking his head before finally looking up at Sanji with a wry smile, “I'm not used to people taking me up on my challenges; honestly it's kinda refreshing having someone constantly butt heads with me.”

 

The inadvertent compliment had Sanji smiling lightly to himself, somewhat proud of being stubborn enough to be able to surprise the man. Pushing a shot glass across the bar towards Zoro, he picked up his own as he smirked, “It's my speciality.”

 

~X~

 

Sanji was pretty sure he had reached a new stage of drunk that he had never been on before. Not quite blacked out as he could still consciously note everything he was doing, but at the same time he felt like he was sitting in a back seat and watching somebody else drive him. Not quite sure whether he'd remember this all in the morning, but nonetheless enjoying the experience as another song ended and he was more leaning into Zoro than he was dancing with him.

 

“C'mon, time to go.” Zoro urged through a drunken chuckle, an arm wrapping under Sanji's in support, “We are smashed and I need to get you home.”

 

The blond could only numbly nod at that, dully noting with a victorious grin that he had gotten at least as drunk as he had promised himself he should. As they exited the building the coldness of the early morning air soon brought some of his senses back to him and he was able to walk a bit steadier without the aid of Zoro. Righting his vest as they headed for the bus stop, he immediately snatched up Zoro's hand and drunkenly entwined their fingers while sending the man a sloppy smile.

 

“You okay?” Zoro grumbled, his voice more gruff than usual due to the excessive drinking they had done.

 

“I'm awesome.” Sanji replied, before giggling at his words, “All the time actually. It never stops.”

 

“Oh, I'm aware.” Zoro humoured him, stopping in his tracks and tightening his grip on Sanji's hand to forcefully get him to stop and realize they were at the bus stop. As they waited for the bus Sanji quickly began to note that the once refreshing air was now getting colder and that he wanted his shirt back on, and thus struggled to unsteadily do so with more than a little help from Zoro.

 

In what felt like a second in his inebriated brain, the bus soon pulled up and Zoro was dragging them to some free seats which Sanji gratefully collapsed into a moment later. First time sitting down since they had been in the booth and all his exhaustion from dancing for the past couple hours came crashing down as he realized just how tired he was. Placing his head on Zoro's shoulder as he yawned loudly, the after effects of the drink began kicking in as he became severely drowsy.

 

A moment later Zoro was shaking him awake and with some help he blearily stumbled off the bus. Amazingly the small nap had done wonders for his drunken state and he actually felt pretty fantastic as they found their way to the entrance of Sanji's apartment complex.

 

“I'll make sure you get to your door.” Zoro assured, “I don't need you passing out in the elevator.”

 

“Shut it.” Sanji huffed, though didn't argue as Zoro followed him to the elevator, more than happy at an excuse to try and get the man into his apartment. It wasn't long before they were at his floor and he guided Zoro down the hall towards his apartment, keys still in his pocket as he drunkenly counted the door numbers to try and locate his own.

 

Once he located number 713 he turned back to Zoro, leaning invitingly on the door as he asked slyly, “You want to come in? I'd feel bad making you go home alone.”

 

Zoro simply watched Sanji with a deadpanned expression, letting Sanji know exactly how much his plan had failed before muttering, “Nice try, blondie. but I ain't stupid.”

 

Sanji raised a brow, daring Zoro to let him prove the man wrong on that statement, before Zoro shut him down and quickly added on, “You're just gonna have to deal with it. Until I read that booklet and we fill out a proper Dom/sub agreement; we're both off limits.”

 

“Hmph.” Sanji grunted lightly, smile playing at his drunken lips as he stepped around Zoro, making sure to keep his body held inappropriately close to the other man's frame as he passed by. As he pulled away, he noted the way Zoro was watching him very stiffly, line of his jaw clenched as though he were holding back something.

 

 _Gotcha_. Sanji thought smugly.

 

Jerking a thumb over his shoulder as he continued to walk backwards, his inebriated mind not making it an easy task, he kept discovering that if he wasn't careful he'd trip over his own heels. Levelling Zoro with a cheeky grin he murmured, “Maybe I should just go back to the bar and find that hot red-head? I'm sure he'd be more than eager to--”

 

Though Sanji didn't have an opportunity to say exactly what he thought the fire crotch might be eager to do, a hand was tangled in his shirt and a moment later he was hauled off his feet. Bodily lifted as he was swung into the wall and was held in place a moment later by a very sharp pair of hip bones grinding into his thighs and a bold hand placed over his chest to keep him in place.

 

Such a sudden motion had his alcohol soaked brain desperately trying to focus, blinking stupidly as Zoro's dark face came into view, teeth bared in a menacing smirk as his eyes bored into Sanji's. Another few dazed blinks and Sanji was once more able to assess Zoro normally as he took in the man's tense appearance with intense satisfaction. Sanji hadn't expected such an aggressive response, but needless to say he felt victorious about it.

 

“Hm.” Sanji purred thoughtfully, enjoying the fact that he was able to see such a desperate side of the usually controlled man. Lifting one of his legs, he crooked it behind Zoro's thigh and brought the man even closer inside his guard as he drew a lazily finger up the tie sitting on the green-haired man's chest, stopping near his sternum as he glanced up innocently, “You want me to stay?”

 

Zoro seemed to be heavily debating on what to do, eyes skittering across Sanji's face as he seemed somewhat distressed by the leg and hand currently on him. Eyes finally settled on Sanji's own as he voiced through a restrained smile, “You're a feisty little shit.”

 

A large, proud grin graced Sanji's features as he twisted his hand, tangling it in the soft silk of the sleek black tie and tugging Zoro closer with a fierce yank. Basking in the smug glory of seeing such an appalled and shocked look plastered across the Dom's usually controlled face. Tilting his head in innocently he let himself brush his lips against Zoro's jaw – knowing full well that a motion for the man's lips might make Zoro push him away – pulling back to eye the man coyly as he bit out playfully, “That wasn't an answer to my question...”

 

Zoro's eyes flashed and moment later Sanji's head collided with the wall, pinned in place by a set of lips plastered over his own. A hot, thick tongue drew across Sanji's lips as the blond remained motionless in his shock at the fact that Zoro was actually kissing him. Another long moment as he blinked stupidly at the realization that Zoro was actually trying to make out with him before he reacted properly.

 

Throwing his arms around Zoro's neck he made sure to lock the man in place and keep him from going anywhere as he responded to the kiss eagerly. Lips parted and a tongue eagerly accepting Zoro's into his mouth, as an aroused shiver skittered across his skin from finally being able to kiss the man.

 

It was better than he could possibly imagine; each flick of his tongue and teasing bite from his teeth sent sparks of electricity shooting up his spine in delicious waves. The give and take of the whole scenario was perfect and Sanji couldn't fathom how it could be so addicting to kiss one man, but he couldn't bring himself to stop.

 

Not when Zoro was forcing his head back into the poorly wallpapered hallway wall, not when his hands where entangled in the straps of his vest so desperately or his hips pinned him so securely, and certainly not when those lips slid across his like fire over ice; burning deliciously as that talented tongue continued to tease his own and set his blood on fire. Need quickly building within him like volcano as he wasn't sure how much longer he could remain like this without wanting to start shedding clothes.

 

Tangling his hands greedily in Zoro's hair he took the small, rare opportunity to grope and pull at the soft, green strands. Quickly rewarded with a grunt from Zoro when he pulled a little too roughly, Zoro retaliated with his teeth clamping down on Sanji's tongue in punishment. Refusing to let go as he drew Sanji's tongue into his mouth and the blond could only whine in arousal at the pain sparking through the hot organ. When Zoro finally released his tongue he took advantage and immediately plundered Zoro's mouth with fierce biting kisses, hopefully getting across the myriad of things he was too proud to say through his actions.

 

More than a little aroused Sanji was beginning to rock his hips up into Zoro's, easily feeling Zoro's shared erection and hoping that perhaps Zoro would just give in and come inside. The pained groan that slipped unwillingly past Zoro's lips was promising, but quickly the hope was shattered as Zoro forcefully pulled himself away with a regretful expression, head lowered while catching his breath before glancing up at Sanji sternly.

 

“You made me lose control for a moment there...”

 

“Good.” Sanji huffed loudly, arms still not willing to loosen their grip on Zoro, “Welcome to the past two weeks where I've literally been losing my mind!”

 

The words had a smile tugging at Zoro's lips and Sanji enjoyed watching as the man lowered his head to desperately fight it off. Soon gaining his composure, he raised his head once more with a hardened expression as he leaned heavily into Sanji, keeping him pinned as his hands came up to once more hold Sanji possessively.

 

“I'm in control here.” Zoro warned, despite how strained his voice still sounded, and trailing a rough hand up Sanji's side. His fingers grasped at the skin hidden beneath Sanji's shirt as his heated eyes locked with Sanji's, “I own this body.”

 

“Yeah?” Sanji raised a taunting brow in interest, a look of clear disbelief on his features as he dared Zoro to show him exactly what he meant. Leaning in with a shrewd glare and alcohol soaked lips brushing against Zoro's as he bit out sharply, “Prove it.”

 

For a long moment they remained locked in a death glare match, both eyeing the other sharply as though waiting for one to give in. Sanji held his ground, staying uncomfortably close in the Dom's space as he silently challenged Zoro to do something to back his words. It only took another few moments before Zoro huffed loudly, pulling away as he broke off Sanji's hold.

 

Crooking a finger in the knot of the silken tie, Zoro jerked it loose by tugging it down and then sharply to the left before sweeping it over his head in a swift motion that had his earrings tinkling loudly in the empty hall. Sanji watched curiously as Zoro turned back to Sanji, tie in hand as he pulled Sanji closer with a hand to the back of his neck. For a moment he expected to be pulled into another aggressive kiss, but was quickly stopped as the loop of the tie was dropped around his head until it rested around his neck.

 

Keeping Sanji pinned by his hips, Zoro brought both his hands up to the tie, one grasping the knot and the other clasping the end of the tie as the Dom tightened it gently until it was done up properly around the blond's neck. Glancing down wide eyed, Sanji watched as Zoro gave the knot a final tug before letting his hand trail down the silk tail and smooth out the wrinkles in it. Hand pausing as it reached the end, fingertips trailing across Sanji's lower abdomen as he levelled Sanji with a heated look.

 

“You're mine.” Zoro intoned seriously, hand slipping around to hold the blond's waist securely. “This tie doesn't come off.”

 

Sanji swallowed thickly at the possessive words, Adam's apple bobbing and straining against the soft, yet secure fabric tied around his neck. Words were currently failing him as he couldn't quite believe the reaction he had managed to get out of the Dom. He certainly hadn't expected such a controlling, slightly desperate side of him.

 

“You sleep around and I'll know.” Zoro continued with a hint of a smirk, free hand tugging gently on the tie, “I'll know if this has been loosened by anyone other than me.”

 

The first thing that popped into Sanji's mind was the fact that he felt indignant that Zoro actually thought he might follow through on his threat. Second was the small ounce of guilt that arose at the thought that he hadn't been dating Zoro for two weeks and was already making adulterous threats to get a rise out of the man. A third thought urged him to apologize, so naturally the first words that slipped past his lips were taunting and sarcastic.

 

“Oh~” Sanji purred with a waggle of his eyebrows, “Already putting on the collar, huh?”

 

“It seems like I have to.” Zoro bit back with an annoyed growl, “Considering how much you want to misbehave.”

 

“Mm.” Sanji drew his tongue across his lips, his alcohol soaked brain urging him to continue down this teasing tangent despite how off of his original plan it was, “But maybe I just want you to put me in my place?”

 

An incredulous look graced Zoro's face, the sly narrowed eyes of temptation not at all missed by Sanji's inebriated brain as he could practically feel the want in the lines of Zoro's body. Clearly the man was tempted to give in to the suggestion just as bad as Sanji wanted him to. Though the moment quickly passed, and the Dom once more drew from that bottomless well of restraint that he held deep within him, reigning in his want to level Sanji with a humouring glance.

 

“Keep it on and I'll reward you.” Zoro murmured against his lips hotly, before pulling away and watching Sanji expectantly for a reply.

 

“Fine.” Sanji finally huffed, rolling his eyes and giving in to the man.

 

Seemingly satisfied Zoro pulled away completely. And just like that, everything that had been supporting him abruptly left; the support, the warmth, the inexplicable need radiating from the Dom's body, all of it. And Sanji was left leaning against the wall; clothing a mess, hair awry, and more than a little hard. The only solace was that Zoro hardly looked any better, especially with his usually thin lips so red and kiss swollen.

 

As Zoro leaned back to survey his own handiwork of Sanji, the blond caught the victorious smirk that slid into place as the Dom noted the tie with a look of pride before giving a wink and sliding his hands into his pockets signalling the end of all their shenanigans. And with that he walked away, making for the stairwell as he left Sanji watching the man leave as he was more than a little befuddled by the whole exchange.

 

Sanji watched the man leave until the door to the elevator shut and took Zoro presence with it. The moment the man was gone Sanji glanced down at the tie currently in place around his neck, hooking his thumb under the garment to lift it up and take a better look at it. Unable to prevent the proud, happy grin from working its way onto his face he once more dug out his keys and entered his apartment, hand refusing to let go of the soft, silk tie that exuded Zoro's musk.

 

TBC...

 


	7. The Boy With A Straw Heart

The crisp morning spring air hung upon the fields with a comforting humidity, dew drops forming on the foliage and dripping down the corn stalks as the last vestiges of fog dispersed in the early morning light. As he finished lacing up his boots and prepared for a day out in the fields, Ron looked up from his seat on the porch, scanning the fields as the sun continued to light up more and more of the tall standing crops.

 

A blur of black crossed his vision and he frowned, following the line of the crow as it sailed across the clear blue sky, heading out towards the north field. Crows weren't often out this early in the morning, and certainly not heading for his fields. His trusty old scarecrow made sure of that.

 

Placing a hand to his knee he pushed himself to his feet with a tired grunt, hand coming up to shield his eyes as he looked out further into the fields. Eyes widening as he noted several other crows sweeping in around the first. All of them heading for the centre of his field, and finding several more already perched atop Ol' Reliable. The scarecrow, a dark outline among the yellow stalks, pinned to a cross with old stakes as his shabbily dressed body was being bombarded with crows.

 

Scowling, he scuffled into his house and snatched up his shotgun before hurriedly rushing back out to go see how Ol' Reliable could suddenly go from guardian to victim. With a bit of a limp Ron stumbled into the corn, his deceased brother's dog Shushu on his heels after he had come rushing out of the barn to follow after him.

 

Following the premade trails it wasn't long before he managed to find his way to the centre of the field, approaching Ol' Reliable as the crows continued to peck apart and tear at the mangled scarecrow. Shushu immediately began barking and yipping, making a fuss as Ron raised his shotgun into the sky, intending to fire a warning shot to scare away the bloody crows that were so mindlessly attacking Ol' Reliable. As his finger pressed into the trigger, he froze, eyes widening impossibly as he began to realize that the scarecrow currently nailed to the post was not his. Nor the clothes or that mangled, drying face.

 

Eyes falling to the base of the post he noted Ol' Reliable sitting on the ground, leaning up against the post and completely unharmed. Fear and confusion began to snake its way through his veins as he looked back up at the new scarecrow that had mysterious replaced his. Nostrils finally noting the disgusting smell of rotting flesh, and the demented expression carved into the wooden – yet human – looking face...

 

Mouth falling open wordlessly, Ron began to panic as a silent scream escaped his mouth and his hands retracted out of instinct, pulling the trigger. A blast echoed throughout the field, crows scattering, Shushu howling, and Ron dropped the gun. Taking fearful steps backwards, his boot caught on a stalk and he tumbled backwards, remaining sprawled on the ground as he stared up at the terrifying scarecrow currently looming over him.

 

~X~

 

Sanji awoke the next morning with a pounding headache, a cottony taste in the back of throat, and a huge grin on his face. Despite feeling terribly under the weather, the thoughts of last night couldn't possibly keep anything from ruining his happy buzz. The combination of the club, the amazing date, and getting to finally kiss Zoro had a fluttering of excitement in his stomach and a tingling on his lips at the memory.

 

When the sun had eventually travelled high enough to slip through the cracks in the blinds and bathe his face in piercing rays of light, Sanji decided it was time to pick himself out of bed. Throwing aside the covers, he slowly pushed himself up as he was careful to not give himself a head rush. Kicking his legs over the edge of the bed he groaned lightly at the realization that he had definitely drank more than he should have and in his drunken slumber managed to give himself a neck kink.

 

Stumbling into the bathroom, he absently adjusted his boxers as they had gotten twisted in his sleep before looking up into the mirror to assess the damage from the last night. In all honestly he didn't look that bad, aside from the messy hair, sluggish eyes, and body paint and glitter that was smeared across his upper body from the various club goers that he had bumped into. When his eyes finally fell to the tie sitting proudly on his chest from last night a grin quirked his hung-over features.

 

Already thinking smugly about the possessive reaction he had managed to get out of Zoro, Sanji was thoroughly enjoying the back and forth that was continually present with him and Zoro. The sexual tension was still extremely present, but it only added to the banter that continued to flame between them. And the fact that Sanji had finally managed to make Zoro's calm, controlled Dom exterior snap; well it had been more than a little rewarding.

 

Originally Sanji hadn't thought the idea of being collared by the man would be that hot, but as he continued to mull over the possessive way Zoro had grabbed him and the almost desperate way he had put the tie on him, he couldn't help but admit that it had been more than just a little arousing. Pain, submission, and the loss of control that he so desperately craved made the situation that much hotter as Zoro's claim to ownership made Sanji's control over himself slip ever so slightly. And if that wasn't the hottest thing in the world; Sanji honestly couldn't tell what was.

 

However, despite how entertaining the thoughts of last night were; the need to shower and have a full breakfast was desperately calling to the blond. Turning on the hot water in the shower he let it heat up while dropping his boxers, hand coming up to the tie around his neck before pausing as Zoro's words from last night echoed in the back of his head.

 

Fingers on the knot, he flicked the tail of tie absently as he debated whether or not Zoro's rules would apply to himself or not, or if perhaps Zoro was just making empty threats in the heat of the moment. Glancing back up at his reflection he snorted at how weirdly serious he was taking this threat as the notion that clearly he wasn't obligated to keep it on like a chain. Zoro wouldn't expect him to shower with the bloody thing on.

 

Hooking his finger in the knot and giving a quick tug he loosened the tie and pulled it over his head, setting it down on the counter with a quirked grin before turning to the shower. Jumping in and washing away the remnants of last night’s activities; glitter, neon body paint, and sweaty grime swirled down the drain in an interesting concoction.

 

~X~

 

Stepping out of the shower Sanji felt remarkably better and his hangover had diminished almost entirely. Tying a towel around his waist and popping a few Advil into his mouth, he set about brushing his teeth and getting any vestiges of last night from himself. Once he was done and feeling like a brand new person, he snatched up the tie as he made his way back to his bedroom, tossing it onto the bed to wear later.

 

Sweat pants and a loose fitting tee shirt later and he was heading into the kitchen to make a decent meal, deciding to actually make something for once since he didn't have to rush out the door for work. A quick glance at the clock on the stove put the time at a quarter past noon, and Sanji felt a bit ashamed over sleeping in so late. Though it was his day off, and besides his Capoeira class at five, he had absolutely no other responsibilities.

 

Deciding on pancakes for lunch, he began pulling out all the dry ingredients he need before cracking a few eggs into a bowl and absently whisking them until frothy enough. From there he continued through the practised motions of his favourite morning meal as the kettle slowly was brought to boil on the stove top.

 

As soon as the kettle began whistling he switched it out for the frying pan, pouring a perfect circle of batter onto the middle before turning his attention to the freshly boiled water; filtering the coffee grounds until he was able to pour a steaming stream of rich dark coffee into his favourite blue mug and begin adding milk and sugar. Stirring absently he made his way into the living room, snatching up the remote and turning on the television so he could watch from the kitchen as he finished up with the pancakes.

 

Flipping to one of the local news channels he tossed the remote on the couch and head back to the stove, sipping at his coffee and refraining from sighing at the rejuvenating taste. Pulling a spatula from the drawer of utensils, he flipped the pancake and smiled to himself at the perfectly golden bottom. He was always smugly pleased with his cooking abilities; in another life he could have probably made an excellent chef.

 

As he waited for the other side to cook he turned to the island counter, coffee mug held loosely in his hand as he leaned on the counter to listen to the story currently being reported.

 

“...though things are currently under heavy investigation; it is likely that the body of eighteen year old Luffy D. Monkey – whom had disappeared over two months ago due to the infamous Seattle kidnapper – has been found this morning out in the Orange County fields.”

 

Sanji eyes widened and he fully lowered his cup as he stared intently at the screen. This was terrible news – not only did it mean that the victims of the kidnappings were being murdered – but it also left absolutely no hope for the other victims’ families to hope that their children would be returned home unharmed.

 

“We will now go to Miss Doublefinger out in the field; for more on the story.”

 

The image of the blond haired anchorwoman cut out to be replaced by the lovely reporter mentioned before. In an expensive midnight blue petty coat she was poised elegantly in front of several stalks of corn, the wind causing a distant crackling disturbance in the audio of the camera and ruffling the eccentric perm that the woman donned.

 

“Thank you Miss Weekend.” The dark skinned reporter purred affectionately as her dark sultry eyes levelled on the camera's audience, “It was early this morning that Mr. Ron Boodle was heading out to the fields when he first noted the odd disturbance the crows were causing to his scarecrow. Upon closer inspection he discovered the body of one – Luffy D. Monkey – stuffed full of straw and pinned to the stake.”

 

The camera panned to the left to reveal a grizzled old man whom could only be Mr. Boodle, and an excited dog sitting happily near his feet. Ms. Doublefinger turned towards the man and offered the microphone after asking, “Can you tell us in your own words what happened?”

 

“Well, I hadn't been out to the north field in the past week,” The farmer grunted, voice distorted from the wind rustling in the background, “I'd gotten up this mornin' and found the crows pickin' apart my scarecrow.”

 

The footage shifted and the camera man now followed behind the farmer as he guided the reporter and camera man through the field. Hand waving toward the direction of where the post was, “Ol' Reliable scared off crows for years so I couldn't understand why they were suddenly picking him apart.”

 

The next shot showed the tall post, standing erect in the field – body obviously gone – and the large stake looking eerily empty. A large dark stake contrasted against the clear blue sky of the early afternoon, and left an ominous feeling in the pit of his stomach as the imagery of what it could have possibly looked like to see a young boy's body pinned to that very post flashed through his mind.

 

“I came out to check and I found Ol' Reliable here.” The farmer gestured to the base of post, “Just sitting there and a new scarecrow was hung in its place.”

 

The camera did a slow scan of the area, giving a brief pause to show the police lines taped up all around the scene and the cops in the distance clearly scanning for clues that could lead to the murderer. It then shifted back to the original scene where the reporter and farmer were standing in front of the corn stalks as Mr. Boodle continued in his tale of finding the body.

 

“Scary looking bugger.” The farmer grunted, “Face all twisted like a dried apple and reeking. I could see why the crows were attracted to the smell. 'Course it was a bit unnerving. Phoned up the coppers right away.”

 

The camera panned over to Miss Doublefinger as he she continued to explain, “The clothing have lead the police to believe that this is indeed the missing boy Luffy D. Monkey from a month ago, and DNA samples have confirmed a positive identity on the body.”

 

Image on the screen shifting back to the anchor room as Miss Weekend sat poised at her desk quietly listening to the last words from the reporter before looking up at the camera and taking over.

 

“Thank you, Miss Doublefinger.” Miss Weekend simpered before smiling up at the camera regretfully, “An autopsy still must be performed on the body, but we were given brief access to the body and have been given permission from the family to show the public. We advise young children to be removed from the room before viewing the following images.”

 

Screen shifting to a brightly lit autopsy room as the camera scanned the length of the body currently laying out on a metal examiners table, skin twisted and deformed just as the farmer had described. Sun having tanned and dried it into a dark gnarled mess. Bits of straw stuck out randomly from parts of the body as it soon became clear that the boy has been skinned and then stuffed. Fingers curled in and twisted into barely recognizable lumps as a few maggots were still visible wheedling their way through the dead flesh.

 

When the camera finally scanned up to the face of the poor boy Sanji had to refraine from gagging at the gnarled mess that remained of the once cheerful, youthful face he had seen all across the news for the past two months. Hollowed out eye sockets where wide brown eyes once sat now only had bits of straw sticking from them, nose completely flattened after the skull had been removed, and mouth agape in a dried, twisted mess that had more hay emerging from it.

 

It looked horrible, like some demented Halloween mask that made your stomach uneasy, and it was hard to imagine that it used to be the face of a young teenage boy. Even worse, it was hard to imagine what sick and mentally twisted kind of person could have the will and commitment to do something so horrible to a human body. Sanji could hardly fathom the idea of some person in a darkly lit shed, slowly cutting the skin from the dead body...

 

A burning smell began reaching Sanji's nostrils and he snapped away from the television in a panic, running to the pancake that was currently smoking in the pan after having gotten forgotten in his horror while watching the news report. Hurriedly flipping the pancake from the pan he found that the bottom was completely black and regretfully tossed it into the trash, pouring a fresh one into the pan with the intent of definitely not burning this one before turning back to the television for the end of the report.

 

The screen now showed the front of the Seattle Police Department, much like it had last week when the report of the missing boy Tony had sent the police to believe that this was no longer an issue of mere kidnappings. Once again Chief Officer Smoker stood in front of the police department, podium in front of him with several microphones poised in front of him so that he could be heard amongst the large crowd of reporters and public.

 

“Up until this point the recent Seattle area disappearances had no proof of homicide, but after the discovery this morning the Seattle PD have no choice but to announce that this is now considered a case of several potential homicides, and is now of top priority to the department.” Sergeant Smoker paused in his speech, looking down with a pained expression before murmuring into one of the many mics, “We regret to inform the public that we have no choice but to declare this a case of a serial killer.”

 

The reporters in the background roared into life, bellowing questions up at the Sergeant as the man continued to look grimly out at the crowd. Ignoring the press he continued on resolutely, “Our recommendations from before still stand. Curfew is still in place, and updated home security systems are highly recommended for everyone. Once we get a full coroner’s report I will give another statement. Until then, no questions.”

 

Smoker turned away from the crowd and stalked back into the police building, ignoring the press that were screaming at him and desperately trying to get past the barricade to get answers. Usually Sanji would be disgusted by the way the media were acting, but at the moment he was almost as desperate as them to know what the hell was going on. Did they have any leads, any suspects; were they at all getting close to perhaps catching this demented serial killer?

 

The report ended, and Miss Weekend went on to talk about the week's predicted weather, and Sanji tuned it out as he turned back to the stove and flipped the pancake, glad to find he hadn't burned this one as well, mind whirring as he silently took in everything that he had just witnessed on the news.

 

It was more than a bit unnerving and had suddenly made the whole situation that much more surreal. At first it had just been disappearances – certainly a very terrifying occurrence – but at the same time hadn't been too bad. As terrible as it sounded, kidnappings and disappearances happened quite often, and at the same time there had been hope that the children would be found or that potentially a ransom note would be sent in.

 

But with the discovery of this first body, it was now very clear that whoever was responsible for these disappearances and consequential murders, was merely doing it for the fun of it. No ransom notes given to any of the families, no contact or motive from the murderer what-so-ever; it seemed that this serial killer was only doing it for kicks. And now that the dark speculation that the children were probably all dead was undoubtedly true; it made the situation drastically more terrifying.

 

Finishing up with cooking the last pancake, he put the stack in the fridge for later but not before throwing two pancakes onto a plate for himself. Smothering them in some butter and syrup, he grabbed a fork and headed over to his desk, placing the plate carefully off to the side before opening his laptop.

 

As morbid as the situation was, Sanji's curiosity had become spiked and he wanted to know about anything else he could on the whole ordeal. Not that the news didn't give solid facts, but the reporters and police had definitely skimmed the details, and knowing how quickly things got leaked onto the internet; he'd have a better chance of finding more answers to the situation online.

 

It didn't take long after Googling the Seattle disappearances that it turned out that a large portion of the internet had exploded over the terrifying story. Apparently the discovery of Luffy's body had sent the country into a small surge of panic since the disappearances were now confirmed to be the work of a serial killer. It made Sanji slightly sick to know how easily entertained people were; a missing boy wasn't exactly big news, but have him show up stuffed full of straw and pinned to a stake and suddenly everyone cared.

 

Using the side of his fork to cut a sliver of pancake, before popping it into his mouth he began browsing all the articles that had come up. Several websites were already dedicated to support the families of the missing children that sent prayers, well wishes, and even fundraising to fund the funeral of the recently found boy.

 

A little bit of research into the name of Luffy D. Monkey and he found that the boy had only been sixteen, still in school at Windmill High. The little information given out by the family and that was spread by friends showed that the kid had been an excitable, curious, happy-go-lucky child with an extremely gentle and caring personality. All statements from his friends claimed him to be the nicest person they knew.

 

All in all the boy seemed like a person that was impossible to hate and Sanji couldn't help but stare morosely down at his computer at the thought of this boy being attacked for no reason. Not to mention the undoubtable pain and suffering he had went through when being skinned by the sick person whom had pinned him to that post in the middle of that field.

 

As Sanji continued to browse what little information he could gain from the internet, he was soon able to locate the identity of the second boy whom had gone missing over two months ago. At the time Sanji hadn't paid any attention since it had been thought to be just a simple disappearance, or a child running away from home. But he did recognize the face of the curly haired, long nosed boy that had been all over the news and papers.

 

Usopp Snipe was the same age as Luffy, however went to an entirely different high school and had apparently never been in contact with any of the other victims. Along with Nami Mikan, and the recently kidnapped Tony Chopper, it seemed that the only thing that they had in common was that they were all fairly young, which lead Sanji to pray that this wasn't some sick child rape thing or anything else as disturbing.

 

As Sanji continued to research into what little was known about Luffy and the events surrounding his death; he eventually stumbled onto some supportive posts on an obscure blogging site called Tumblr, though most of them seemed like an attention grabbing scheme. Besides the fact that there was nothing really thoughtful in the posts, they were ended with 'Like or Reblog to show support' which had Sanji assuming the person responsible really didn't understand the gravity of the situation.

 

As he continued to browse through news reports, Facebook pages of families, and blog posts giving opinions on the matter it became increasingly obvious that the public as well as the police were fairly inept at finding a solution to the situation. Several police reports that had been released held no promising evidence; there were no fingerprints or any identifiable DNA at the crime scenes, no possible cause of motive connecting the teenagers, and no pattern. Essentially it seemed that the police were at a metaphorical dead end and were trying to appease the public with sweet talk.

 

Leaning back in his swivel chair Sanji ran a hand over his face, letting it cover his mouth as he heavily opened his eyes to stare balefully up at the screen that illuminated the innocent face of the Monkey boy that was recently found. This was all becoming way too emotionally involving, not to mention nerve wracking. How many more children would be kidnapped and killed before the man was caught? Was Sanji still young enough to be considered in danger? What the hell was the reason for all of this?!

 

Hand falling away from his mouth he sat forward sharply and snapped his laptop shut, not in the mood to continually stare at that innocent face any longer. Falling back into his chair with a groan of remorse, wishing he could go back to this morning and how he had felt after spending the night with Zoro. He knew it was kind of selfish of him, but there was only so much compassion he could offer for these disappearances before it started affecting him mentally.

 

Snatching up his mostly finished coffee he took a sip and spun around in his chair, idly eyeing his living room as he tried to think of something to take his mind off of the recently internet dubbed 'Seattle serial killer'. He had approximately three hours before he would have to head out so that he could make it down town in time for class.

 

Eyes falling on his back pack that he had so unceremoniously discarded on the couch yesterday before getting ready to go to the bar with Zoro, he remembered the large quantity of money within it that he still had not dealt with. With a heavy sigh he figured he might as well deal with the money before lazily getting himself ready for his Capoeira class later that day. It was definitely nice having class on his day off so he could really enjoy the class without being tired after work.

 

Finishing off the last of his coffee he placed the mug back on the desk and pushed himself from his seat, grabbing his backpack from the couch and making for the middle of the living room. Sliding the coffee table to the side of the room he pulled back the expansive, expensive Persian throw rug to reveal the floorboards underneath. To an untrained eye you couldn't detect the obscure lines in the floor, but Sanji wouldn't put it past a cop to be able to figure it out. As he carefully dug a fingernail into the cracks of one of the boards and pulled it loose he hoped that he would never come to having his house searched by the cops.

 

Gently setting aside the first board he began removing three others as the small compartment underneath was revealed. Since it was too suspicious to deposit such large quantities of money without drawing attention, Sanji had begun keeping a small stash in his house. Partially because it was dirty money, but also because it was nice having a backup in case anything ever happened to his bank account.

 

Call him paranoid, but after doing enough illicit work with blackmailing more than a just a few people in his short twenty one years of life, he liked to err on the side of caution and keep most of his funds hidden. Along with a boxed stash of money he also had some other random stuff hidden in case of emergencies; a small duffel for evacuation or earthquake survival purposes, a magnum semi-automatic with a full magazine and two spares, and the few photos and items that he had managed to save from his parents before getting sent to foster care.

 

Pulling the envelope from his backpack he slid his finger along the fold and ripped it open, pulling out the wad of cash and absently flipping through it to make sure it was all legitimate and not laced with anything. The hundred dollar bills were fairly pristine and slid against one another with a very satisfying feeling as his mind began to wander to the most recent scams he had been pulling, more specifically Hogback.

 

It was becoming too easy.

 

Most people would be ecstatic at having such a large source of renewable income, but Sanji couldn't help but look at it in slight confusion and disappointment. When he had first started doing it when he was young he had gotten an insane adrenaline rush from it; and afterwards gained such an amazing sense of accomplishment from getting revenge on people whom thought they could get away with such terrible things like cheating or lying.

 

But thinking back to how he felt about Hogback – as revolted as he had been – it didn't stop him from remembering the slight pang of guilt that had radiated in his gut after seeing the hollow expression on the man's face. A large part of him felt a moral obligation to catch sick fucks like this, as well as cheaters and embezzlers, but a part of him just wasn't in it any more. Maybe at some point when money was no longer the issue and he'd grown out of his ignorant teenage years he had matured enough to gain a conscience.

 

It wasn't a game anymore, it wasn't really fun. These were people's lives he was messing with, and the sense of satisfaction he had gotten had diminished over time.

 

Ever since he'd scammed Hogback, Ace's words had been vaguely echoing in the back of his mind as he contemplated if he should take his job more seriously and apply for a better position. In all reality he couldn't continue illegally blackmailing people for the rest of his life – sooner or later he'd get caught or slip up – and it might also have something to do the with the fact that he was entering into a serious relationship with someone he was actually growing quickly attached to, but he felt inspired to actually peruse a real career now that he was so involved with Zoro. It might have been because he was starting to fall for the doctor, or it might also be because he felt challenged to get a career as stable as Zoro's. Whatever the reason was, Zoro coming into his life had easily been one of the best things to happen to him and he wasn't about to let it go.

 

Satisfied with the money count from the envelope, he placed the wad of bills into the box of money before leaning back to assess his savings. He had long ago saved up more than enough money to be financially stable, and the more that he contemplated taking Ace up on his offer, the better it sounded...

 

Casting a final look at his life savings, Sanji replaced the lid back onto the box with finality deciding he wouldn't take it off until he absolutely needed to. No more scamming, no more ruining or getting involved in other people's lives, no more blackmailing. From this point on he was going clean; not only for his own sake regarding getting arrested, but for his relationship with Zoro as well. Zoro may have been older, but Sanji wanted to prove to himself that he was mature enough to deserve Zoro's trust.

 

Sanji began replacing the floor boards as he quietly contemplated his sudden life altering decision. It definitely wouldn't be easy. After growing up in the foster system he had instinctively become used to fending for himself, and not exactly following the rules. Suddenly changing his whole outlook wouldn't happen overnight, but it seemed like no better time than the present to start thinking about his future.

 

As he finished putting the rug back in place over the living room floor and dragging the coffee table to its original position Sanji cast a glance to the clock and deciding he might as well get dressed and head down town early. If he caught the three forty bus he could probably hang around and watch the Judo class for a while.

 

Wandering back into his bedroom to get dressed he cringed at noting his dirty clothes on the floor and figured he might as well throw a load of laundry in the washer before heading out. Trudging over to his shirt, he hooked his foot under the garment and kicked it up before snatching it out of the air.

 

Picking up his discarded jeans in the same manner he fished out some of the change that had accumulated in the pockets, before checking the back pockets and pausing as he felt a foreign leather feeling. Pulling out the thin unfamiliar wallet he looked it over with a frown before flipping it open and immediately grinning as he noted the recognizably grumpy face on the driver’s license within.

 

Though unsure as to how and when he'd managed to get a hold of Zoro's wallet last night, he couldn't help but smile at the young, terribly taken photo that was within. No one ever looked flattering in their driver’s photo, but Sanji had to give Zoro props for not looking overly sweaty or hung-over. Despite the terrible lighting on the man's younger face, all that it did was highlight his scowl lines in his brow and make him appear completely displeased at having to have his photo taken.

 

It made Sanji wonder what exactly Zoro was like as a teenager – clearly at the age of twenty seven the man had gotten everything together – but he made a mental note to ask the man what he had been like when he was younger. Perhaps the green hair was a remaining vestige of his rebellious youth.

 

For a moment he felt a pang of guilt for shifting through his boyfriends things, and chuckled lightly as he realized that he really did have a problem with going through people's things. But it was less that he was looking for something incriminating and more the fact that he wanted to find more funny photos of his current boyfriend. Unfortunately, there were no other funny pieces of I.D., and was simply filled with several receipts, some coffee shop gift cards and several expired gym memberships, including a brand new one.

 

But snooping aside, Zoro would probably need his wallet, especially since it seemed that his debit card and credit card were both contained in the wallet. And on top of that it also seemed like the perfect opportunity to give the man the list that Sanji had finally completed. Tossing the wallet on the bed he quickly gathered the rest of his clothes and threw them in the washing machine before locating his phone and shooting the doctor a text.

 

**Hey, I have your wallet.**

 

Placing his phone on the bed next to the wallet and snatching up the discarded tie from early Sanji turned to his wardrobe to grab something to throw on before heading to his martial arts class. A pair of tapered blue jeans were slipped on before he began to wonder what he could wear with his black tie without looking like a teenage douche. He wanted to keep it on specifically for Zoro though he was still in debate if Zoro was serious or not in the first place.

 

Regardless, he wanted to show Zoro that he was able to play along with whatever games the man wanted to participate in. In the end he decided on a grey short sleeve button up that he was fairly fond of but didn't wear often enough. With being stuck in a mandatory work shirt he usually only wore something super light to fit underneath, but there was something about button ups that made him feel so smooth and classy.

 

Doing up the top button he glanced in the mirror on the closet door and adjusted the sleek black tie that was becoming more and more attached to. Smirking at his appearance he couldn't help but notice that the tie actually really did suit him. His narcissistic staring was cut short as his phone buzzed loudly on the bed and when he snatched it up Zoro's reply blinked broadly on the screen.

 

**Shit, really? Thank you. I'd thought maybe I lost it.**

 

Snatching up the aforementioned wallet from the bed and making his way back into the living room to grab his gym bag and the completed check list as he typed back a quick reply,

 

**Yeah, I'm guessing it happened at some point when we were both pretty hammered. But I need to come downtown for my Capoeira class; I can drop it off since I'm assuming you need it?**

 

Making his way to the door with his gym bag slung over one shoulder he began pulling on his shoes. Throwing Zoro's wallet into the safety of the bag before making sure he had his own, and snatching up one of his hoodies; he was out the door just as Zoro replied.

 

**If you could that'd be awesome. Don't worry though if it's inconvenient for you.**

 

Sanji just smirked as he entered the elevator and responded.

 

**Don't worry about it ;P**

 

~X~

 

The Going Merry Clinic was drastically livelier in the day time than in the afternoon, with the lights making the place practically glow and the clients coming in and out of the building with grinning, satisfied faces. As he entered the building he noted the two children playing ecstatically with the toys in the waiting room as their parents were no doubt in one of the clinics patient rooms. Regardless the kids seemed completely unperturbed and the secretary was keeping a close eye on them.

 

The woman in question who sat behind her desk was a vision to behold as it seemed like those glasses and blazer were made for her. Sharp, calculating eyes were busy scanning the Cosmo she had laid out on the desk as a slender, manicured hand raised to tuck a strand of long, sleek blond hair behind her ear. As Sanji approached the desk he vaguely wondered if everyone working at the clinic was always so astoundingly gorgeous.

 

“Hey, is Mr. Roronoa in today?” Sanji asked politely.

 

The secretary looked up in surprise, taking in Sanji and his question with an expression of complete confusion, eyes blinking up owlishly as though Sanji had suddenly grown a second head or something equally as abnormal. Kalifa – as her name tag read – continued to cutely stare up at Sanji as he leaned against the counter and watched her back equally as quiet. The silence continued to stretch before Sanji realized how stupid his question must have sounded.

 

Obviously Zoro had to be working today; he owned the clinic. As a specialist in his field there were probably little to no other physiotherapists at this practise. Now that Sanji thought about it he hadn't had the opportunity to ask if the place was solely owned by Zoro or if he had hired other doctors. But any thought of other staff was dismissed as Sanji noted the growing look of concern on the secretary's face.

 

“Sorry.” Sanji corrected quickly, “Obviously he's in. I mean can I see--”

 

“Hey, nice of you to stop by.” A rich baritone interrupted Sanji.

 

Glancing up swiftly Sanji couldn't help but gawk slightly at the doctor that he was currently dating. If he had thought Zoro looked good in his workout gear, or half naked; it didn't hold a candle to the man when in his work attire. Finely pressed beige work slacks clung to his well sculpted thighs and were held up with a stylish Italian leather belt that wrapped around his perfectly tapered waist. A crisp, light green button up was tucked into his slacks and Sanji couldn't help but notice the way the buttons strained slightly against his chest; the look was completed with a long white doctor’s cloak that hung perfectly from his broad shoulders.

 

Thick rimmed spectacles perched on his nose, hair slightly tousled from no doubt tugging on it, and with a hand tucked casually in the pocket of his slacks, he looked like he could pose for the cover of some form of doctors magazine or health journal. Sanji had never realized he had had a doctor kink, but suddenly the idea of a patient/surgeon scenario was way too hot.

 

Turning to the secretary, Zoro sent a charming grin before gesturing vaguely in Sanji's direction, “Sorry for the confusion. This is Sanji; I mentioned him to you before.”

 

The look of confusion was quickly replaced with clarity and she sent a charming grin Sanji's way before correcting herself politely, “Of course. Sorry about that. I'll remember from now on.”

 

A relaxed smile graced Zoro's face before he jerked his head towards the offices that he had come from, “Come on in.”

 

Sanji nodded loosely, still a little in shock of how turned on he was by Zoro's work attire before stumbling after, giving a terse, “Nice to meet you.” to the secretary. The woman watching the two leave with interested eyes, Sanji wondered if Zoro had explained to her that they were dating, or if she knew about Zoro's explicit sexual lifestyle.

 

“I wasn't sure when you would come, but you actually caught me at a good time.” Zoro explained casually as he led Sanji towards his office, “I don't have another client booked for at least a half an hour.”

 

As they passed by the gym Sanji noted several patients within, all of them preoccupied with exercises and stretches that Zoro had probably given them at the end of their session. As they rounded the corner into the hallway the passed by a room with a bed and patient relaxing on it as the same machine that Zoro had shown him in one of their Skype sessions was hooked up to his knee and seemed to be providing relief to the muscles.

 

Zoro opened the door to his office, holding it open and allowing Sanji to enter before following afterwards and closing the door behind himself. Sanji stood semi-awkwardly near the man's desk as Zoro took a casual seat in his swivel chair and gestured to the free chair to the left of the desk. Sanji wasn't sure if he was imagining it or not, but he was almost positive he saw Zoro's eyes linger for a moment on the tie currently around Sanji's neck.

 

Zoro however, seemed to be pretending to not notice so Sanji figured he might just cut to the chase as he shucked his bag from his shoulder and pulled out Zoro's wallet. Handing it to the man, he couldn't help but relish in the small moment of skin contact where Zoro's finger brushed against his.

 

“Thank you.” Zoro murmured with a relieved smirk, placing it on his desk safely before turning back to Sanji, “I was really hoping I wouldn't have to phone in to cancel all my cards and accounts.”

 

“Yeah, that can be a royal pain.” Sanji agreed with sympathetic nod before grinning, “How's your hangover?”

 

“Oh, I'm fine.” Zoro flashed a condescending grin, “Though I'm assuming yours was pretty intense.”

 

“It wasn't that bad.” Sanji huffed, “And I call bullshit; you drank at least a bottle of whiskey.”

 

“True,” Zoro mused smugly, “but eight years of med school, late nights studying, and dorm parties have made me practically impervious to bad hangovers.”

 

“I'm sorely tempted to try and disprove that.” Sanji scoffed, leaning his hip against Zoro's desk as he crossed his arms over his chest skeptically.

 

“Anytime.” Zoro agreed amiably, eyes drifting to Sanji's Doiski Panda gym bag, “Where you off to?”

 

“I have my Capoeira class at five but I figured I'd have time to drop off your wallet,” Sanji paused awkwardly, eyes shifting to the side as he fumbled, “And, uh...”

 

Zoro's raised a perplexed eyebrow before urging, “What?”

 

“I – um... I brought the list as well.” Sanji offhandedly mentioned, hands finding their way into his pockets to try and cover the fact that they were beginning to sweat lightly, “If that's okay?”

 

“Actually that's perfect.” Zoro's confusion fell away to be replaced with a large grin, leaning back in his swivel chair as he pulled open a drawer to his desk, digging through the mess of papers and folders before finally finding what he was looking for. Turning back to Sanji, he placed the slightly crinkled piece of paper on the desk before him, “I printed this up a while ago, but I figured it was best to do it with the list finished.”

 

Frowning, Sanji picked it up, scanning it quickly it became apparent that it was a contract, more specifically meant for a BDSM relationship. It was simple enough and just outlined the consent of both parties and the duties assigned to each of their roles.

 

“What's this for exactly?” Sanji asked for clarification, not entirely sure why he needed to signed a form for a relationship. He could vaguely remember Zoro mentioning a contract of some kind on their first date but he hadn't expected it to be this legitimate.

 

“It's not as intense as it looks.” Zoro reassured, "But since some of the things we will be doing could be labelled as abusive; it simply states that we both understand and consent to the somewhat  _strenuous activities_ that will take place.”

 

Sanji couldn't help but smirk at the stress Zoro put on the two words that described what they would be doing, though he had to agree that it was a pretty accurate definition. He hadn't actually considered it, but now that he thought about it a lot of the things he enjoyed could be taken a bit too far and could easily trail into dangerous health risk territory. Regardless, he nodded to show his understanding to Zoro before turning to the contract and officially reading it over.

 

_ **Dom/sub Contract** _

 

_* Bedroom Relationship Only_

 

_This contract dated, May 19_ _th_ _2014, is the complete and entire agreement between the signatories. I, Zoro Roronoa, being of sound mind and body, hereinafter referred to as “Dom” and Sanji Black, being of sound mind and body, hereinafter referred to as “sub”, hereby wilfully and do honestly abide by the list of limits given by the “sub”. The terms of this agreement will begin on May 19_ _th_ _2014 and will remain in effect for a period of 12 months ending on May 19_ _th_ _2015\. This contract shall also become null and void immediately upon request of the injured party following any material breach of the contract. Should the injured party agree to continue with the contract following any material breach, the broken clause shall still remain in effect for the remaining terms of the contract._

 

_ **DOM'S RESPONSIBILITIES** _

 

  * _Dom shall be responsible for keeping sub safe at all times._

  * _Dom will do everything within His power to train, educate, instruct, shape, and mold sub into best sub possible._

  * _Dom will receive pleasure from the activities outlined in clause 2 above._

  * _Dom shall respect and honour the invocation of the safe word by sub._

  * _Dom will stretch sub's limits to help sub grow in life and position._

  * _Dom will respect all hard limits of sub._

  * _Dom agrees to work with sub on any new interests that sub discovers._

  * _Dom shall inform sub the reason for any punishment. Periodically during the punishment Dom will remind sub the reason for the punishment although that can come from the sub in the form of “Why are you being punished?” with an appropriate response from the sub._




 

_ **SUB'S RESPONSIBILITIES** _

 

  * _Sub agrees to study BDSM on a daily basis, including but not limited to searching the internet, reading books, attending BDSM munches and/or other BDSM activities._

  * _Sub shall bring and show honour and respect to Dom at all times._

  * _Sub agrees to never remove ownership collar at any time._

  * _Sub shall not orgasm without permission from Dom._

  * _Sub shall not invoke the safe word unless absolutely necessary._

  * _Sub shall count each stroke when being punished by flogging,caning, etc. And also must thank Dom following each stroke._




 

_These terms are mutually agreed to by the affixing of the respective signatures below._

 

_Dom: sub:_

 

After carefully reading through the contract, Sanji easily agreed to the terms listed above, snatching up a pen to scrawl his signature in the “sub” slot. As he leaned forward the black tie fell forward, the tail resting on the table innocently while his hand slid across the paper smoothly to complete his signature. Before he could set the pen aside however, a hand came up to gently grasp the trailing end of the tie. Fingers cradling the delicate silk as Zoro tugged on it to slowly bring Sanji to face him.

 

Sanji was somewhat confused, but was in no mood to complain as Zoro's thumb gently drew over the silk as his eyes drifted down, “Glad to see you kept it on.”

 

“Of course.” Sanji snorted derisively, “You told me to.”

 

“Yes...” Zoro admitted slyly, hand tightening its hold on the small piece of fabric in his hand, “But we both know you have obedience issues.”

 

Sanji didn't reply, but just let a large cheeky grin split his face as he thoroughly enjoyed the fact that Zoro seemed to realize that it wasn't going to be easy making Sanji do everything he wanted. Though that wasn't to say he didn't enjoy playing along once in a while; he was just glad that Zoro was aware Sanji still had a lot of control at the moment.

 

“You're such a cheeky little shit.” Zoro rolled his eyes at Sanji's superior grin and began to slowly guide Sanji closer with the tie currently in his grip.

 

“You like the challenge.” Sanji muttered as he allowed himself to be pulled forward towards Zoro's own perfect, grinning lips.

 

“Mm, I do.” Zoro conceded, before pulling Sanji the rest of the way for a chaste kiss to Sanji's lips. Hovering for a moment as he continued, “It'll make it all the more rewarding when I break you.”

 

Sanji shuddered at the words, already more than a little excited by the fact that he had signed the contract and finished the list, which signified the official beginning of their BDSM relationship. Leaning in excitedly he tilted his head to better slant his lips over Zoro's and return the man's kiss. It was quickly ruined however when Zoro tugged possessively on the tie and Sanji ended up cringing with a hiss as the awkward angle had his neck twinging painfully. A lovely, cock-blocking reminder of his kinked neck from his messed up sleep last night.

 

“Something wrong with your neck?” Zoro enquired with a tilt of his head, and easing up on his grip on the tie so Sanji could lean back slightly.

 

“Ah,” Sanji grunted and raised his hand to his neck to rub lightly at the kinked area, “Yeah, it's been like that since I woke up this morning. Bad sleep or something.”

 

“Take a seat on the bed.” Zoro urged with a small grin, already pushing himself up from his chair and making his way over to the client table. Sanji only eyed the bed wearily as Zoro patted his hand to the surface, silently encouraging the blond over as he smiled lightly.

 

Sanji was tempted to refuse simply out of courtesy – and partially because he wanted to go back to making out – not wanting to take advantage of the fact that Zoro wanted to do it for free simply because they were dating. However, from the expectant look on Zoro's face, Sanji felt almost bad rejecting such a kind offer. Finally giving in, he gave a fake huff of annoyance before making his way over and hopping up onto the bed and muttering with a chuckle, “I feel bad taking advantage of you.”

 

“Naw, this is me repaying you for finding my wallet.” Zoro argued back lightly, “If I had lost it I'd be royally screwed.”

 

“Alright.” Sanji finally conceded lightly, and watched idly as Zoro walked around to the other side, rubbing his hands together to warm the palms. It was a little awkward at first, sitting there with Zoro behind him and waiting for the man to put his hands on him, but he figured it was possibly the stupidest thought in the world since he currently wanted the man behind him anyways; although in a completely different setting.

 

Strong, yet warm fingers wrapped at the back of his neck and gently began working at the tense muscles there. At first just warming up the tendons, before Zoro began digging in a bit more persistently, finding the tweaking points that had Sanji tensing in reflex, before relaxing with a sigh as a knot would be released.

 

Methodically Zoro worked his way down Sanji's neck until his fingers finally located the crook that had been tense and causing Sanji discomfort the whole day. Zoro seemed to note the hardness of the knot as well and his hands gentled as he began working the area with surprising tenderness. Brows drawing down, Sanji tried to ignore how unpleasant the knot felt as Zoro's hands tightened.

 

“This may twinge for just a moment.” Zoro warned lightly.

 

“'Kay.” Sanji muttered, not really worried about it hurting and more interested in just continuing to have Zoro's hands on his body.

 

Zoro's hands cupped Sanji's neck carefully as his thumbs dug sharply into the muscle, rubbing in harsh circular motions that had Sanji tensing up. It lasted for only a moment until something released and all the sore, pained, knotted muscles in his neck seemed to unravel and fall away. Slumping backwards into those amazing hands Sanji groaned pleasantly, “Fuck, that feels so much better.”

 

“Glad to be of service.” Zoro jested quietly, hands continuing their melodic massage and trailing down to Sanji's shoulders. Working at the tendons and muscles there as Sanji began to really appreciate the talent that Zoro possessed.

 

“You're – mmm --” Sanji cut off with a pleased hum, “You're really good at this.”

 

“Why thank you Mr. Black.” Zoro crooned in jest, lips brushing against the shell of Sanji's ear while his hands began to trail lower, working at his shoulder blades and spine; making Sanji shudder, though from his words or hands, Sanji couldn't decide. Instead he just let his head fall back against Zoro chest with a satisfied moan of appreciation while Zoro continued his caring, practised strokes.

 

Sanji's eyes slid open heavily; eyelids hooded as he lazily looked up at the physiotherapist and idly wondered what he had done to deserve someone so amazing. So talented, gorgeous, and driven; and somehow this man had decided to message him of all people on Grand Line and ask him out.

 

“Are you going to start purring next?” Zoro bit out through a grin, hands sliding even lower to gently hold Sanji's waist, fingers hooked around the blond's hip bones while he smiled down at him.

 

“Only if you give me milk.” Sanji grunted with a smirk, leaning further back into Zoro as he became intensely interested in how far exactly Zoro planned to let his hands travel. After last night's make out session after the bar, and Sanji having officially given consent over the list and his body; there seemed like there were literally no walls left between them. Unless Zoro was still going to get a kick out of deprivation...

 

Zoro raised a shrewd brow as his thumbs stopped their circular motion, “I can't tell if that was dirty or not...?”

 

“Up to you.” Sanji shrugged carelessly; personally not sure himself whether or not he was implying something dirty or if he had just panicked and said the first thing that had come to mind. He would like to hope that he was charismatic enough to come up with something that classy, yet dirty so quickly.

 

“Mmm.” Zoro hummed as an interested look slid into place, one hand coming up to cup lightly at Sanji's jaw and tilt the blond's head back. Lips hovering over Sanji's as he muttered, “Knowing you... I'm gonna take that as dirty as possible.”

 

“Good.” Sanji egged Zoro on lightly as Zoro finally lowered his lips to press them against Sanji's in an oddly cute upside-down kiss. It was chaste and innocent, causing Sanji to smile into it as the warmth from Zoro's chest pressing into his back and his gentle hands seemed somewhat surreal.

 

With the gentle coaxing of Zoro's tongue Sanji parted his lips to allow the kiss to deepen, twisting his head to the side to allow for better access as Zoro took the invitation and slid his tongue inside. Still leaning back against Zoro's chest, Sanji sucked tentatively at the Dom's tongue and enjoyed the moaned reaction he gained from the older man. The kiss continued mindlessly for the next few minutes as Sanji basked in the protective glow of his Dom's presence.

 

There was none of the urgency from last night, no drunken hysterics, or harsh movements and clashing of teeth. Instead it was a slow, sensual, appreciative slide of lips on lips; simply enjoying the solitude they had in the office and the time uninterrupted. As Zoro's hands lowered to continue their thorough massage on his lower back Sanji took the opportunity to thread his hands up into the mess of green moss that the man called hair. Tugging and teasing at the strands as Sanji was slowly growing impatient with the limitations to the upside down kiss.

 

Breaking the kiss for a moment, Sanji spun himself around until he was facing Zoro, legs bracketing Zoro as he pulled the doctor in closer by the lapels of his pristine white jacket and grinning at how easily Zoro allowed himself to be pulled into the kiss. Hands returning to Sanji's  _extreme_  lower back, Sanji revelled in being able to touch and kiss the man like he'd imagined for the past few weeks.

 

Sanji didn't even want to get Zoro undressed – which was a first – he just wanted to continue feeling Zoro up in those amazing clothes of his. Hands roving over the fine dress shirt that unfairly accentuated the man's torso in the best way possible; idly mapping the hard, toned muscles underneath and loving the way his fingers trailed over the curved dips. When he finally managed to reach Zoro's fine leather belt he couldn't help but drum his fingers teasingly against it rather than try to remove it.

 

Zoro groaned happily into the kiss at Sanji's appreciative touching as he abandoned massaging Sanji's glutes to get more control over the kiss. One hand grabbing the front waist line of Sanji's jeans and tugging him forward as the other took a controlling grip on his jaw, thumb angling his head up to more securely receive the eager, biting kiss from the doctor. Sanji hummed contentedly, more than satisfied at the urgency Zoro was suddenly showing.

 

If this was simply a taste of the reward he'd receive for being patient, than Sanji was more than happy with abstaining for the next month. Making out hotly in Zoro's office, with people just outside the door and having to remain fairly quiet was just bordering on voyeuristic that it was hot. Not to mention having a Dr. Sexy currently pulling them groin to groin by a hand gripping the front of his jeans extremely possessively.

 

Taking that as permission from the Dom to get a bit more grabby, he slid his hands around to grope at Zoro's ass through the fine slacks as he idly wondered how much encouragement it would take to get Zoro to fuck him while fully dressed. Definitely not for their first time, but maybe their second or third. Damn, just the thought of Zoro bending him over the table here and now was enough to make him painfully hard.

 

“Ngh.” Zoro's lips fell away, forehead coming to rest against Sanji's shoulder as his hands tightened and then released Sanji's body regretfully, “I have a client in five minutes; this is going to have to stop.”

 

“Then why'd you start it?” Sanji grumbled teasingly, turning his head to murmur the words in the doctor's ear. Hands snaking up to wrap loosely around Zoro's shoulders as he linked his feet together behind Zoro's waist. Client or not, Zoro was not going to escape that quickly, especially not after getting Sanji so riled up.

 

Zoro raised his head, hand tangling around the tie and jerking Sanji forward as his half lidded eyes lingered on the fabric in his hand. Voice thick and dripping with arousal as he murmured against Sanji's lips, “Cause you're wearing my tie and I'm just itching to gag you with it.”

 

Sanji's face lit up in an intense blush of torrid embarrassment and arousal at Zoro's words, vehemently wanting to deny that that actually sounded like the most fantastic idea in the world, while his erection currently pressing into the zipper of his jeans was giving him away. Shifting his hips to try and ease the pressure on the organ he grunted sassily, “How do you know I'd even like that?”

 

“Oh, I know you'll enjoy it.” Zoro promised with an almost evil grin, seeing right through Sanji's pathetic attempt at remaining vigilant. Taking advantage of Sanji's legs currently wrapped around him and dragging him forward with a finger hooked possessively through one of his belt loops. The gentle swivelling of Zoro's hips was bliss, but just withdrawn enough that it was quickly becoming torturous.

 

“Prove it.” Sanji goaded harshly, already fed up with Zoro's damned teasing and hoping Zoro would follow through on his earlier threat.

 

“I learn loads from a person's body just by glancing at it,” Zoro mused with a taunting smirk, hand coming to trail possessively up Sanji's side and grip at his waist through the thin grey cotton of his button up shirt, “How much do you think I learn from looking at someone I enjoy watching?”

 

Sanji's flush only worsened at Zoro's admission, stuttering slightly over his reply before managing through a voice choked from arousal, “W-what do you mean?”

 

Free arm thrown around the blond's shoulders, Zoro leaned in with a soft chuckle as sharp lips brushed Sanji's hair, “Oh, you know exactly what I mean.”

 

Nuzzling his nose into the soft blond strands he hummed for a moment before Sanji could feel the broadening grin on the man's face brushing the shell of his ear. Sanji shivered from the close contact, but was averse to the playful cuddling due to his indignation over Zoro's suddenly smug mien.

 

“Nope.” Sanji refused bluntly, childishly turning his head as far away from Zoro as he could despite the fact that their lower bodies were molded together like to perfect puzzle pieces.

 

“You're orally fixated.” Zoro muttered with a devious smirk, “Rather bad case too.”

 

Eyes flashing to make eye contact with the doctor, Sanji tried to hide the surprise that was once more fighting to show on his face from Zoro's bluntness. Zoro however, seemed to once again be able to see right through Sanji and smirk at the blond's defensiveness.

 

“Think I wouldn't notice?” Zoro cooed rhetorically, “You constantly have something or other in your mouth. You smoke cigarettes – roll them between your lips when you can't light up – chew on pen caps, and casually bite your thumbnail when in thought. When you can't use your hands you gnaw on your lip and even bite the inside of your cheek.”

 

Sanji's eyes widened at that, hardly aware that he was actually that bad when it came to his little tick. Mostly he had just chalked it up as a fidgeting thing he got when he hadn't had a cigarette in a while. In fact, he only really noticed it when he didn't have a cigarette within arm’s reach and was dying for a hit.

 

“You think I didn't notice the way you practically gnawed off your lip during our Skype?” Zoro purred happily, referencing their explicit Skype session last week, “You need something in your mouth to keep you preoccupied. Which, incidentally, means that the idea of sucking cock is probably really pleasurable for you.”

 

“Am I right?” Zoro smugly asked, the rhetorical statement only furthering to hasten Sanji's embarrassment. Sanji just opted for remaining silent as the man seemed determined to continue on in his superiority induced doctor tangent. “Another habit – most likely due to your smoking – is you fidget with your feet a lot. Mostly just bouncing your leg or tapping your foot, nothing too significant.”

 

Sanji's eyes fell to his knees, not realizing that it was that reoccurring of a habit that Zoro had managed to notice it, and he was beginning to wonder what other things he did that Zoro had already managed to pin point. Scowling playfully up at Zoro, Sanji forfeited, “Alright, alright. I get it. You're  _really_  fucking good at your job; shut it.”

 

“Also,” Zoro noted – completely ignoring Sanji's compliment – as his hands slid down Sanji's back, fingers prodding at the scar from a surgery Sanji had had when he was a child, “An old back injury I believe?”

 

“How'd you know that?” Sanji asked in shock, initial embarrassment fading as he was instead left in awe of Zoro's perceptive skills. Though his aroused state none the less still persistent.

 

“First off I felt the scar when I was massaging your lower back. And second; when we fought you favoured your right, you had an interesting stance; like someone whom was trying to stay low to compensate for a back injury. If you never had proper physio’ after an injury it can lead to odd quirks of the minds balance system.” Zoro explained, “The way you leaned while fighting made it seem like an old habit you weren't aware of.”

 

“Didn't know it was obvious.” Sanji grunted in quiet awe, “But yeah, I fucked up my back in a skiing accident when I was younger.”

 

“What'd you do?” Zoro scoffed lightly, hands resuming their light rubbing of the old wound as he kept Sanji still wrapped protectively around his body.

 

“Hit a tree.” Sanji muttered, “Though I don't know what they expected, shoving a kid down a fucking mountain cliff on two strips of plastic; it's practically a death sentence.”

 

That had Zoro chuckling fondly, “Well, I'm glad it didn't paralyse you. Or worse.”

 

“Yeah...” Sanji agreed casually, becoming increasingly distracted by the hands on his back once more, “You – you were able to notice all that from our fight?”

 

“That, and several other things.” Zoro mused offhandedly, hands returning to their previous wandering and began exploring the inseam line of Sanji's jeans, “Like for one thing, you have an extremely high pain tolerance.”

 

Hand trailing up to play across a jean clad thigh, Sanji idly watched as Zoro's hand trailed closer and closer to his clothed erection from earlier. Teasing at the fabric as Sanji was beginning to wonder if the man intended to actually touch him inappropriately while at work.

 

“What's that got to do with anything?” Sanji asked absently, still way to preoccupied with the hand now placed over his jean zipper but remaining frustratingly immobile.

 

“Did you know that I've never fucked someone with my full strength before?” Zoro murmured hotly, fingers thrumming across Sanji's neck in a teasing caress, hastening the aroused shudder that wracked Sanji from the gravelly whispered words. “I'm excited to see if I can break you--”

 

A sharp knock resounded on the office door as Ms. Kalifa shrilly called through the door, effectively killing the mood with the same intensity as a bucket of cold water being thrown into their faces, “Mr. Nefertari is here to see you now. He's in room 3.”

 

“Coming.” Zoro responded smoothly, rough voice quickly masked with an air of professionalism as he removed himself from Sanji and straightening his jacket with a jerk of finality. Though the way his eyes and hands lingered for a moment suggested that that was the exact opposite of what Zoro wanted to be doing at the moment.

 

“Anything else?” Sanji choked out with a slight catch in his throat as he tried to recover his failing resolve. Adjusting his hoodie, he tried to regain some composure while watching Zoro collect his clip board and a file from his desk before heading towards the door.

 

Pausing with his free hand on the knob, Zoro glanced back at the blond still ruffled on the bed and sent a cheeky grin his way, “You're extremely narcissistic.”

 

“What?” Sanji scowled indignantly, moving to get off the bed before pausing at the painful reminder pressing against his jean zipper that he was hard, “Why?”

 

“Aside from the outraged defence of your dignity...” Zoro's eyes flicked down to note Sanji's jeans before humorously meeting Sanji's embarrassed glare, “I'd mostly say that it's because you're hard. I only gave you facts about yourself and you're a needy mess; a bit egotistical are we?”

 

“You know that's not the case.” Sanji defended hotly, “You got me all hot and bothered with your dumb massage!”

 

“Mmm... maybe.” Zoro shrugged with an evil grin, “Anyway, I have a patient waiting for me. Call me.”

 

And with a charming grin Zoro swept out of his office, door closing dramatically behind him as Sanji was left sitting on the examiners table, hard and more than a little ruffled.

 

TBC...

 

 

 


	8. Pink Quartz

It had taken several minutes for Sanji to calm his raging arousal after Zoro's teasing examination, and several more afterwards to correct his dishevelled appearance so that when he exited the doctor's office it didn't appear so obviously that he had just been ravished.  Slinging his gym bag over his shoulder and nodding to himself confidently, he strode from the office, making for the lobby.  His fears were practically irrelevant as he passed by Zoro's secretary whom didn't even raise her head at his departure.

 

Out on the street, he felt significantly less embarrassed about making out with the man at his work place and began making his way for the nearest bus stop.  By the time he was aboard the transit, hand idly wrapped around one of the loops to keep himself from falling over due to the bus' overly dramatic stops, he had a face splitting grin smeared across his features.  As juvenile as it was, he couldn't help being smug at the thought that he had once more gotten to make out with the incredibly attractive man.

 

Especially considering Zoro seemed to like to draw this whole process out.  The more Sanji broke down his defenses and submitted to the controlling man; the more elated he became.  Though whether he was actually breaking down Zoro's walls or if the man was intentionally letting Sanji think that, was another matter entirely.

 

Lurching to a stop, the doors swung open and Sanji side stepped a few passengers and hopped out onto the street and made for the dojo just down the block.  Whether or not Sanji was caught in Zoro's web wasn't the issue; he sure as hell was enjoying it. That and Sanji couldn't stop a Cheshire grin from splitting his face at the thought of Zoro going through the list later and reading up on everything Sanji was eager to do with him.  At the very least he hoped that it made Zoro a little more impatient to finally get in bed together.

 

The entrance bell jingled happily as Sanji stepped through the portal into the huge martial arts centre.  He inhaled sharply as the warming aroma of mats and sweat met his senses.  Kicking off his shoes he made his way to the stairs and up to the Capoeira class situated upstairs.  Passing by the entrance he spotted Shuriya and grinned broadly, “Oi!”

 

Shuriya glanced swiftly to the side, face masked for a moment before noting Sanji's appearance and his face broke into a broad grin filled with childlike glee.  He swiftly uncrossed his arms and strode across the mats.  Arms wide, he pulled the blond in for a rough hug, purposefully slapping his hand on Sanji's back before pulling away with a chuckle, “Good to see you man.  I was wondering if you were gonna come for summer classes.”

 

“And miss the chance to beat your ass?” Sanji scoffed, “Unlikely.”

 

“I haven't seen you since fall classes.” Shuriya mused, hand snapping out to try and smack Sanji in the side just as the blond dodged, “You're probably all doughy and soft.”

 

“You know the New Years’ Resolution crowd scares me off.” Sanji chuckled, preluding to the horrible surplus of over eager beginners that would congregate at the dojo and gyms around town.  It was a definitely dampening on the mood to go from a familiar class of ten with a comfortable learning and competitive environment, to suddenly having the mats crowded with over fifty new recruits that didn'thave the will to keep training past March.  “And I've kept up my training, watch yourself.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, hot stuff.” Shuriya goaded and gestured to the change rooms. “Get your ass changed.”

 

Sanji snorted and refrained from making a scathing remark about Shuriya's ass, instead turning and making his way to the change rooms.  Shedding his clothes and getting into his abada, he absently did up the draw string to his pants while making his way out of the change room.

 

Within the next few minutes the rest of the class had arrived and they were soon bowing in and beginning their warm up.  Various running circuits and push up drills were done before Shuriya finally had everyone pair up to practice strikes on each other.  Sanji was paired with a younger boy and was giving the kid pointers as they took turns striking and blocking.  He couldn't help but grin at the kid's eagerness, remembering idly how excited he'd been when he had first began learning the sport.

 

The class flew by much quicker than Sanji would have liked, and the last ten minutes were then devoted to actual matches.  Three different fighting areas were spread out across the large dojo, and as sparring partners separated to occupy them, Shuriya finally made his way over to the blond and goaded Sanji with a cheeky grin, “Gonna follow through on your promise to try and kick my ass?”

 

“Gladly.” Sanji sneered, following the instructor to a free sparring area and taking opposing stances.  Sanji wasn't going to lie, he was a tad rusty, but he had worked most of it off in practice.  Not to mention the brutal remedial lesson he had received from Zoro as their first date; that memory sent a dopey grin to his face as another student yelled for the match to start.

 

Shuriya seemed intent on showing off to his other students as he went on the offensive immediately.  Darting forwards, he seemed intent on landing a severe upper body blow. The man was easily a match for Sanji in speed and agility, which made him a difficult opponent since neither of them really had an edge on each other’s abilities.  Sanji decided he was going to humour the man and let him have a few shining moments in front of his class before really getting serious.

 

It certainly wasn't like fighting Zoro, fighting that man had been challenge like no other – almost like chasing a shadow as he had tried to match the man move for move – but Shuriya wasn't without skill.  The man was master in his art form and was constantly a rival when Sanji was fighting someone, and unlike Zoro whom relied largely on strength to compensate for his lack of flexibility; Shuriya was an agile fucker.

 

As Sanji fell into a defensive stance, he focused solely on his blocking; doing his best to stop the lashing kicks being sent from the other man.  Shuriya managed to clip Sanji's shoulder in a set up combo that the man had  _definitely_  not known when Sanji had fought him last.  It had sent Sanji scrambling trying to revise his plan on how exactly he was supposed to land a strike on the annoyingly nimble man.

 

Dodging swiftly to the side Sanji set up for his next strike, shifting his weight his right before aiming a low strike followed by a higher one to catch the man off guard.  After a low block, Sanji managed to gain the advantage by getting in a light strike on Shuriya's lower ribs.  It was enough to encourage Shuriya to step up his game by deflecting the next kick, pinning Sanji's foot and sending an aggressive attack directly at Sanji.

 

Shuriya's kick connected solidly with Sanji's chest, sending him sprawling out onto the mats with a grunt.  Taking a moment to recover his breath after having it knocked from him, he scowled as he pushed himself up, turned and launched himself immediately at the brunette, dropping low and sweeping his leg.  Smirking triumphantly, he braced his hands on the floor and shot his leg up, catching Shuriya in the shoulder and knocking him to the mats with the same viciousness he had just shown Sanji.

 

Seeing their instructor being thrown to the floor caused several of the students to lose interest in the other matches and pay closer attention to the fight.  To his credit, though, Shuriya recovered quickly, pushing himself up and rubbing his shoulder with a grin, “You sure haven't forgotten how to land a hit.”

 

Hands raising as he took an offensive stance Sanji just smirked and launched forward, weight shifting to the ball of his foot as he aimed a high kick that had Shuriya jumping back to barely avoid being struck.  From there on it became back and forth battle, hit for hit, as neither made to really harm one another but both still eager to one up the other.  Sanji allowing Shuriya leeway for certain moves he wanted the class to observe, while Sanji just tried to remember all his old strikes and combinations.

 

“Alright, that's ten minutes.” Shuriya called out breathlessly, halting Sanji with an outstretched hand before turning to the rest of the class, “Line up for bow out.”

 

Sanji lowered his aggressive stance, as out of breath as the other man and just as bruised, but still feeling thrilled that he had managed to remain a match for the man after all these months.  It was sure to sting Shuriya's ego a bit that he been on level ground with a student that was a bit out of practice, but it had sent Sanji's own self-esteem sky rocketing.

 

Everyone lined up facing the front and waited for Shuriya to bow respectfully before everyone else followed suit.  Shuriya clapped his hands together and addressed the room with a grin, “Awesome class everyone; I'll see you all next week.”

 

Sanji hung back with Shuriya as they allowed all the students to file into the change rooms to shower and get dressed, both of them taking the time to clean up some of the equipment that was lying about and to sweep off the mats.  Shuriya paused in his sweeping, leaning his elbow on the top of the broom handle as he turned to address Sanji finally, “I concede myself impressed; I thought it would be easier taking you down, but you've clearly been keeping up with your weight training.”

 

“A little.” Sanji admitted.  He still went through his standard morning run and workout routine, but it was a sporadic occurrence at best.  Plus he hadn't renewed his gym membership last month, “Maybe you're just getting old.”

 

“Watch yourself.” Shuriya snarled playfully, swinging the broom in an attempt to hit the blond for the snide remark.  It turned into an immature attempt to see who could hit the other more squarely in the face with their broom as the students began exciting the change rooms and gifting them with curious glances.

 

When the whole place was finally empty and Shuriya had landed a solid hit to Sanji's face and answered a question from one of the lingering students, they put away their temporary weapons and headed for the change rooms themselves.  Shuriya stopped to grab his towel and gym bag from the corner of the room before they both entered the men's change room to begin dressing.

 

“Also, here.” Shuriya grunted, digging through his bag for a moment before finding what he was looking for.  Offering the slightly crumpled pages to Sanji he explained, “I figured you might want this.”

 

Snatching it up, Sanji scanned the pages quickly to find that it was full schedule of classes at the dojo – weekdays and hours all included – with specific class highlighted for Sanji's benefit: Capoeira, Muay Thai, Judo, and Karate specifically.  He'd taken a few of the classes before, but had never really committed to any of them.  It was certainly a warming gesture on Shuriya's part that he was trying to get Sanji more involved in them.

 

Folding it in half carefully, he slipped it into the front pocket of his gym bag before glancing up at the brunette who was busy pulling up his jeans, “Hey man, thanks.”

 

Tossing a glance over his shoulder as he finished doing up the zipper with finality, he shrugged, “Just doing my job as instructor.”

 

Sanji snorted at that, instantly thinking of all the times he had witnessed this very same man being the exact opposite of the mature and trustworthy 'teacher' he was claiming to be.  A rather prominent memory was of them drunk and taking a cab home while the man had brandished his naked rear out the back window at group of young pedestrians; this same man was instructing kids as though he had never committed a sin in his life.

 

Shuriya let the derisive tone pass and returned to dressing, Sanji mimicking him as he haphazardly pulled on a plain black Henley while toeing on his shoes.  Midway through fumbling with his belt he heard a distinctive buzzing come from his bag, and he cinched the leather tight before wrestling the small device from the side pocket.  Flicking the screen on he noted a text from Zoro, the green bubble illuminating the tiny screen as Sanji sucked in a sharp breath of shock.

 

**Can I come over tonight?**

 

Sanji tried to not let his excitement show on his face, not needing to explain to his colleague why he was so excited about potentially getting laid that night.  Schooling his features into something that he hoped resembled nonchalance he replied with a terse;

 

**Sure. I look forward to it. ;)**

 

Tossing his phone on top of the bench, he finished pulling on his hoodie and getting the rest of his gear tucked away in his bag when his phone buzzed again as Zoro replied with finality.

 

**I'll be there at 10.**

 

Sanji only smirked happily, tucking his phone into his pocket as he followed Shuriya out of the room.  The man ahead of him was fiddling with the buttons on his yellow jogging jacket as they made for the exit.  One of the late night classes was still in session so Shuriya was able to leave without having to shut down the lights and lock the doors; something that always put the martial artist in a cheerful mood.

 

“Sunday drinks?” Shuriya prodded as they stepped outside into the chilly fall air, “Like old times.”

 

“Actually...” Sanji mused somewhat regretfully, hoping his inappropriate excitement wasn't showing on his face, “I think I'm going to pass on the beer this time. After next class?”

 

“Sure.” Shuriya shrugged carelessly, eyes drifting to the outline of the phone in Sanji's pocket, “Got a friend coming over?”

 

Sanji casually slipped his phone into his back pocket, hiking his gym bag up on his shoulder as he shrugged in disinterest, “Wouldn't you like to know?”

 

A small huff shook Shuriya's frame, lifting his shoulders and causing his nostrils to flare lightly before a small smile quirked the corner of his mouth, “I'm glad you're happy.”

 

“What's that got to do with anything?”

 

“Eh.” Shuriya slipped his hands into his pockets, shoulders jerking in a noncommittal shrug, “You've been in an overly good mood all evening, whoever it is; they seem to make you happy.”

 

That had Sanji pausing as he thought about how much his mood, and overall attitude had changed these past few weeks.  Since meeting Zoro he had been whipped into a whirlwind of extremes that had had him in a constant state of euphoria.  Between the unorthodox dates and their undeniable chemistry, each day he spent with the man left him more and more in awe of how lucky he was.

 

It wasn't something that had initially mattered to Sanji, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized how true it was.  This past month he had been more happy and relaxed than he had been in years, for the first time in a long time he was in a relationship that had him truly happy.

 

“Drinks next week?” Shuriya prodded swiftly, dragging Sanji from his fond musings.

 

“Yeah.” Sanji called as he continued in the other direction, feet easily carrying him as he strode backwards, “I'll text you.”

 

Shuriya nodded with a smirk and Sanji gave terse wave before spinning around on his heel, continuing off down the street with a perhaps little too eager stride.

 

~X~

 

Sanji absently twisted the lock on the apartment door as he balanced on one foot, unlacing his high topped converse with his free hand.  Stepping through the open portal he quickly pulled the loosened shoe off and tossed it on the shoe rack before working on the second one in a similar fashion.  Pushing himself away from the door, he shuffled into the main room of his quaint apartment, dropped his duffel on the couch and headed for the bathroom as the exertion from his Capoeira class was beginning to set in.

 

It had been a few months since he had had such a strenuous work out – he'd been a  _little_  lazy this winter – but even though he could feel some bruises forming it was a rewarding kind of ache.  A hot shower, a bit of stretching, and the pain would be nothing but a dull throb to remind him of his accomplishments from earlier that evening.

 

In the bathroom he did a lovely impression of an entrapped animal as he dropped his jeans while pulling his shirt over his head, getting it caught on a stiff shoulder and nearly tripping over his own feet.  Shucking the shirt with a little shrug, he shimmed his jeans off before they could cause any more potential harm to him.  After discarding boxers and socks in the laundry hamper in the corner he turned his attention to the shower.

 

As soon as he stepped under the spray he groaned obscenely as the scalding water pounded over his tired skin.  Sanji loved having his showers just shy of being burning.  It had actually lead to a semi-awkward shower encounter with a woman when he apparently had tried to 'cook her like a lobster', and they had ended up doing it in water temperatures that had been near freezing in Sanji's opinion – not that he was going to complain when he had a pretty woman in his arms...

 

Enjoying the solitude however, he began working a copious amount of shampoo into his hair while letting the pounding stream hammer at his aching shoulders, eyes slipping closed while he let his mind wander.  Not about anything particularly interesting, mostly just welcoming the silence that he cherished despite its affinity to be hard to track down.

 

Eventually Sanji stepped from the shower, the stiffness from his Capoeira class long gone and the smell of stale sweat washed away as well.  Feeling entirely rejuvenated, Sanji noticed that his skin had taken on a slightly unhealthy red pallor due to the steaming hot water he had just ensconced himself in.  Drying off hurriedly, he headed to his room for a fresh pair of boxers and jeans, along with a simple gray shirt.  Part of him wanted to just throw on a pair of sweats, but he felt that inviting Zoro into his apartment in his pajamas was a bit too presumptuous.

 

Heading to the kitchen, he whipped together a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a cup of coffee as his eyes remained perpetually locked onto the oven clock, watching the time tick away in eager anticipation as the hour slipped by and ten o'clock became nearer and nearer.  He hadn't been nervous before, but as the time till Zoro's arrival was within the thirty minute range he became almost jittery in his impatience.

 

The knock at the door shouldn't have been as startling as it was, but Sanji felt himself jump slightly and his skin get goose bumps at the thought of who was on the other side.  Swallowing thickly in his excitement, he pushed himself up and made for the door, wiping his clammy palms on his jeans before opening the portal with more enthusiasm than was probably necessary.

 

“Hey.” Zoro gave a charming smile, looking far too tempting in the thread bare Levi jeans that clung perfectly to his hips and thighs, his impeccably toned torso concealed under a loose fitting Adidas shirt that, despite its best efforts, could not  hide the outline of the man's pecs.  Broad shoulders were concealed under a dark green leather jacket that was whitened at the seams from years of use, and Sanji idly wondered if he could get away with curling his hands possessively in the lapels of the man's jacket and hauling him forward.

 

Despite Zoro's tantalizing appearance, it did not dissuade Sanji from noticing the small black duffel in the man's left hand. Arching an audacious brow, he grinned, “An overnight bag?  Pretty presumptuous of you.”

 

Sanji's teasing didn't affect the man however, it only caused Zoro's smirk to twitch humorously before murmuring, “Who said this was an overnight bag?”

 

That swiftly caught Sanji's attention and his gaze dropped to the bag as curiosity got the better of him.  By the time he realized Zoro's ploy it was too late.  Zoro was smirking triumphantly at having easily distracted Sanji and at the obvious interest that had lit up the blond's face.  Sanji fumbled for a moment, trying to collect the scattered shards of his confidence from seconds before, but it was already too late.

 

Hefting the bag over his shoulder, Zoro just gifted Sanji with a knowing look and side stepped the man as he entered the apartment. Kicking off his boots easily, he seemed to purposefully crowd into Sanji's personal space, acting oblivious as he brushed his shoulder against Sanji’s and made the blond lean backwards lest his face be pressed directly into the man's chest.

 

Keeping himself occupied with closing and locking the door, he tried to calm his suddenly sky rocketing heart beat as his mind began to supply all the possible situations that were about to take place.  The top of which was the fact that after weeks of dating, teasing, and taunting they were finally going to take that final step with each other. Sanji silently berated himself for it as it really shouldn't have had him as nervous as he was; what was he, a teenager?!

 

Turning around with the full intention of placing a look of utter composure over himself, he nearly choked on his tongue when he found Zoro still so close to him. Duffel discarded on the floor as the man watched Sanji with a tender expression that was a little disconcerting.  Leaning back at the sudden closeness, Sanji found he had nowhere to go as his back immediately connected with his apartment door.

 

Zoro smiled softly, still gazing at him far too adoringly for what Sanji was expecting from the aggressive Dom.  Sanji tried to gauge what could possibly be going through the man's head as his eyes slowly scanned over the blond's face, stopping occasionally to seemingly take in a feature, before continuing on to inspect Sanji some more.  Eventually, Zoro raised a hand to tenderly brush through Sanji's hair and the blond was starting to wonder if the Dom was waiting for him to make a move or to say something.

 

Another hand joined the first, gently carding through Sanji's hair as the Dom's eyes lowered to Sanji's lips and Sanji couldn't stop himself from letting his tongue dart out to wet them impatiently.  Sanji could see Zoro's pupils dilate a fraction from the motion, but still the man didn't make a move, and Sanji was just about ready to open his own mouth and ask what Zoro wanted from him when Zoro finally decided to speak.

 

“I know you said that you've been in a few tame bondage relationships before,” Zoro stared as his hands threaded carefully through Sanji's hair, “but I want to start out kinda slow.  If you don't mind?”

 

“Yes.” Sanji choked out hurriedly, nearly blushing at how dry his voice sounded before quickly realizing how inauspicious his reply was as he blustered lightly. “I mean, no mind given – no minding here. Uh... I don't mind.”

 

“Good.” Zoro huffed with finality, a grin quirking his lips as his hands carded through Sanji's hair one final time before lowering to cradle Sanji's face as he dragged the blond forward playfully, “C'mere.”

 

Sanji was shocked for all of two seconds at how forward and giving Zoro was actually being – no taunting and teasing, or misguided foreplay with massages – the man was full on holding him and kissing him like they did it on a regular basis with absolutely no strings attached or games to be played.  Not wanting such charity to go to waste Sanji reciprocated immediately, hands winding around the thicker man's waist to grope at what he hadn't had the opportunity to feel up in the man's office due to his work attire.

 

Despite his eagerness, Zoro kept the kiss slow and leisurely, and seemed to be truly enjoying himself as he suckled at Sanji's lips with a carefulness that was almost painful.  The slow, slide of thin pliant lips and the hot thickness of his tongue gliding against Sanji's had the blond moaning happily into the other man's mouth.  Canting his head to the side Sanji deepened the kiss as much as the older man would allow as his hands continued their mischief.

 

Hands hiked up Zoro's shirt immediately to caress and claw at the skin that had been out of his reach for far too long, sliding up his back to paw at the moulded muscles there before trailing around to the front and examining the planes and ridges before him.  All the while his hands roved, Zoro was immobile as he continued to only casually kiss the blond while his hands remained motionless, giving Sanji his opportunity to have his fill before he would undoubtedly fall back into his usual controlling regime; not that Sanji was complaining.

 

The way Zoro kissed was almost tender in a strange sort of way, like he was testing the waters before diving in, or getting acquainted to a really cold ice cream before taking a bite.  Sanji had no idea if it was a good or a bad thing, but at the moment he thoroughly was enjoying sucking on the man's lips while groping him under his shirt.  It was dramatically different than Zoro's vicious kiss in the hallway, or even their hurried make out session at the man’s workplace; this was leisurely, fun, and above all, exciting as it seemed to be the timid prelude for what was to come.

 

As Sanji's hands drew restless and began to wander lower and his hips began jerking ever-so-slightly as he could feel the hardness beginning to form in his jeans, Zoro seemed to take that as a sign to move and his hands suddenly dropped; hooking under Sanji's thighs and hefting him up sharply so he had no choice but to wrap his legs around the Dom's muscular waist lest he fall over.  Zoro grunted in appreciation, lips still glued to Sanji's greedily as he walked them out of the foyer and into the living room.

 

Each step had the man's thigh pressing into him and lifting him enough to feel the returned hardness growing in Zoro's pants and Sanji grinned triumphantly before biting playfully into the kiss.  Zoro hummed in approval, head jerking forward to reciprocate the behaviour, nipping at Sanji's lips as his tongue delved into Sanji's mouth to coax a moan from the blond.  Tongue swirling and dragging across his own devilishly, he hadn't noticed that they were in his living room until Zoro was plopping back on the couch, Sanji now straddling the man fully.

 

It was oddly gratifying that Zoro would put him in such a position of control – honestly expecting the man to immediately pin him to the couch – but this was a delightful surprise that Sanji certainly wasn't going to take for granted.  Taking the opportunity to heart, Sanji began to swivel his hips teasingly, grinding down into Zoro's lap and the concealed erection slowly growing in hardness hidden within.

 

Zoro seemed close to purring at how pleased he was by Sanji's actions, head resting on the back of the couch as he looked up at Sanji, open and wanting.  Hands still resting gently on Sanji's thighs from where he had held on to when carrying him to the couch, Zoro’s thumbs began working soothing circles into the muscle there.  Fingers thrumming restlessly as he seemed to be itching to move his hands further up Sanji's body.

 

Rolling his hips once more and grinding his clothed erection right against Zoro's to elicit matching moans from the both of them, he wasn't about to start questioning Zoro's methods now.  So he took advantage and continued his motions, loving the painful twinge of the zipper biting into his thick cock, biting his lip to keep the groan at bay as Zoro's hips bucked up to press his impressive erection to Sanji's backside, and closing his eyes as the growing burn of pleasure was slowly building in his gut.  All the while Zoro watched with half lidded eyes and a pleased grin.

 

As the pleasure mounted, Sanji had built up a steady rhythm that was getting him far closer to cumming than he would have liked to admit, especially with the fact that he and Zoro hadn't even started to have the real fun yet.  Zoro seemed to be getting the same notion because his hands began moving, slowly sliding up the blond's thighs, hugging his waist tenderly before locking eyes with the blond.

 

“I've been fantasizing about finally touching you for so long...” Zoro groaned needily, trailing his hands up Sanji's torso, fingers dragging teasingly across his ribs as a thumb flicked harshly at a perky nipple.  Hands twisted around to sharply draw blunt fingers  down Sanji's back and tightening at the corded muscles that tensed perfectly with each roll of the blond's hips. “Feel you...”

 

“Ngh.” Sanji nodded uselessly, loving how Zoro's hand began guiding him in his movements, starting to slowly take control, “Fuck... yeah?”

 

Still with his head tipped back all nonchalant and smug as he casually held onto Sanji, brown eyes lingered on Sanji's lips and the blond felt the need in that look alone.  Dipping his head swiftly and capturing his –  _his_  – Dom's lips once more, his rhythm faltered and he thrust his hips forward desperately, grinding himself against Zoro's abs through his thin cotton shirt.  It was far more rewarding than it should have been.

 

Hands reaching forward and gripping the back of the couch for more leverage, Sanji continued his playful movements as Zoro lowered a hand to the front of Sanji's pants, palming him through the denim.  A gurgle turned into a groan deep in his throat and Zoro smirked feraly into the kiss as a sense of urgency suddenly took over him.

 

“The sounds you make...” Zoro made quick work of the zipper, pulling the pants down until they were straining against Sanji's lower thighs, and he immediately slipped his hand below the soft cotton of his boxer waistline to grip his hardening dick in a sure, strong grip.  Sanji felt something short circuit in the recesses of his mind as that calloused hand that he had been fantasizing about for weeks took no pause in dragging an embarrassing keen from between the blond’s lips. “I wanna rip them out of you...”

 

Fingers dug into the knitted back of the couch, his knuckles practically white as Zoro picked up a steady rhythm that had him gritting his teeth to keep from making any more embarrassing noises despite Zoro's obvious enjoyment of them.  As good as it felt Sanji still wasn't going to give Zoro what he wanted that easily; he was still going to make the Dom work to get Sanji to submit.  Zoro was making it increasingly difficult, however, as he kept a perfect twisting motion and his thumb dug into the thick veined underside with each up stroke.  Just as Sanji was beginning to get a bit control over his raging arousal and start to enjoy the sensations, Zoro abruptly stopped and pulled his hand away completely.

 

Sanji wanted to complain but Zoro was already busy hooking his hand in the back of Sanji's boxers and dragging those down as well so he was entirely nude from the waist down.  Exposing the blond's perfectly rounded behind, which Zoro took no shame in eyeing up over Sanji's shoulder, he slid a hand down to mold comfortably in the cleft of his ass.  Thumb perching between the dimples of his lower back, thick fingers delved deeper into the peaks of moulded muscle.

 

Sanji shivered at the sudden close contact and canted his hips just enough as an invitation for the man to go deeper.  The denim around his thighs didn’t allow him to spread his legs as much as he would have liked, and he silently cursed himself for not wearing his sweat pants.  Regardless, Zoro took the invitation, fingers sliding in deeper as his middle finger massaged his opening with barely restrained relish.

 

Releasing his grip on the back of the couch Sanji lowered his hands to grip at the plush leather of the Dom's jacket as he arched his back to urge Zoro to press a little harder.  Dry or not the pressure down there was gut-wrenching, just the thought alone of the man getting a finger inside him had his thighs aching at the thought.  Zoro kept it slow however, pad of his finger massaging the opening with no intention of thrusting any deeper than he already was and Sanji was beginning to wonder if he could jump up and run to his room and grab his lube without Zoro stopping him.

 

“Grab the bottle in my pocket.” Zoro murmured soothingly into Sanji's ear, causing the blond to frown in confusion for only a moment before realizing that the man was on the same thought track as he was.  Fumbling as he began digging through Zoro's pockets, he tried to ignore the embarrassing fact that his hands were already shaking from their little bit of foreplay and focused on wrapping his fingers around the bottle of lube in the man's left pocket.

 

Immediately handing it off to Zoro, he rested his chin on the man's shoulder and listened tensely as the cap was popped and the faint squirting sound of some of the lube being dispensed.  A moment later the cold, slick touch was returned to his rear and he muffled a hiss while Zoro stroked his lubricated hand up and down the cleft of Sanji's ass; thoroughly spreading it as Sanji bit his lower lip in anticipation, arousal starting to cloud his mind.

 

Arms bracketing Zoro's head, he lowered his forehead until it was resting on the man's shoulder, breathing in the thick heady scent of the man as he remained crouched within his grasp.  Encircled by muscular arms, one curled around his back securely and the other continuing to merely brush over his hole without any indication of going deeper, Sanji shuddered in anticipation.  Turning his head, he mouthed cautiously at Zoro's neck, enjoying the salty tang that hit his tongue and being rewarded by the small, nearly inaudible groan from his teasing partner.

 

When the first finger slid inside Sanji felt like something deep in the centre of his chest had come unravelled and he curled forward onto Zoro, impossibly defeated by that one simple motion.  It was barely enough of a stretch to make a difference, but more than effective to render him completely undone.  After weeks of teasing and taunting, finally having Zoro within the most intimate part of him broke something deep down that he knew could never be repaired.  It was a craving that would never be satiated; a wound that would never heal.

 

A barrier had officially been crossed and there was no going back.

 

“Mm.” Zoro huffed with approval as he began working in a second finger alongside the first, twisting to push it past the lube slick rim as he groaned into Sanji's shoulder, “You're really tight.”

 

“It's –  _ah!_ ,” Sanji gasped as Zoro worked the two fingers in deeper, just shy of aggressive as he managed to reach further than Sanji ever could on his own, “It's been awhile.”

 

“Good.” Zoro growled pleasantly, sounding far too pleased with that news as he began scissoring his fingers and working Sanji open with each motion.  Alternating between thrusting until his knuckles were pressing sharply at the underside of Sanji's balls, and pulling mostly out, he set about stretching Sanji as much as possible.  At first it was exhilarating, but it swiftly turned into a teasing rhythm that had Sanji constantly on edge.

 

It wasn't long before Sanji got fed up with the fingers inside him, wanting the bigger prize that was the ultimate result of all this preparation.  Hands falling to the waist band of Zoro's jeans, fingers started to work at the button and zipper before Zoro grunted and tore his lips away from Sanji's with a smirk.

 

“Ah. Ah. Ah.” Zoro admonished as he pulled away from Sanji abruptly, index finger extended wagging back and forth in the blond's face as the man tsk-ed at Sanji's apparent audacity.  There was a slight twitch as Sanji fought to keep a frown from forming on his brow before slowly letting go of his Dom's waistline as he made a confused, tortured sort of sound.  “You don't get into my pants that easily.”

 

Frown coming back full force, Sanji quickly reached for Zoro's belt buckle as he opened his mouth to protest loudly at the unfairness of the situation.  His protest turned into a choked off gurgle as Zoro returned his fingers to Sanji's ass, hand slipping between his cleft to shove two fingers sharply past his prepared entrance.  Three harsh thrusts had Sanji's back arching in pleasure and all complaints erased from his lips as Zoro teased his hole with a vengeance.

 

“I – I – AH! Ah – fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” Sanji chanted the heavy mantra while trying to not let it get to him and failing largely.

 

“You don't have the right to get in my pants just yet.” Zoro growled hotly into his ear, teeth scraping the shell as his arm pinned across Sanji's back to keep the blond in place.  Other hand still deep inside as he grinded his fingers up as far as they would go from this angle; tips crooking to tease and massage the blond's prostate.  Though keeping it just shy of the edge of real completion, making Sanji have to rock his hips down to try and achieve that final bit of pressure that made it all worth it.

 

“Puh – Please.” Sanji managed, not sure exactly what he was pleading for but knowing that it had something to do with the fact that Zoro was a god awful tease – something he had known for a long while prior – but hopelessly believed that maybe the man would have let it go just this once and reward him.  It was of course a foolish hope and was reinstated by the fact that Zoro seemed to purposefully gentle his stokes and causing Sanji to whine in desperation.

 

“You have to  _earn_  it.” Zoro bit out, teeth clamping down on the lobe of Sanji's ear and tugging at the flesh playfully. “I'm going to work you, tease you, play with you.  And only after you've been thoroughly and utterly used will I reward you.”

 

“Unnhh.” Sanji moaned low and heady at the words being whispered into his ear – promised to him – from that sinful voice that was slowly corrupting his mind and taking control of him; body and soul.  Body shaking, he reached back swiftly to grab the man's wrist to keep him from completely pulling away as he dropped back onto Zoro's fingers, trying to ride them deeper.  Zoro only smirked triumphantly at Sanji's eagerness, allowing his hand to go lax and letting Sanji do all the work as his lips returned to murmuring darkly in Sanji's ear.

 

“And when I finally follow through, I'll fuck you so thoroughly you won't be able to walk for  _days_ , you'll be limping and feeling me inside you; stretching, pounding, filling.” Zoro hissed the last words like a secret, as he sprung into motion and added a third finger and jerked Sanji up until he was grinding his cock against Zoro's chest.  Mouth open and gasping uselessly on the Dom's shoulder as he finished with a vicious twist of his fingers, “I'll have you craving my cock; craving me.”

 

A painful grind and twist of fingers and suddenly Zoro pulled them out, leaving Sanji empty and stretched, gasping at the sudden cold feeling as he whined into Zoro's shoulder.  Sanji blinked in confusion as hands grabbed his pants and hiked them back up, setting them to rights before patting Sanji's sides as he gifted the blond with a satisfied smile.

 

Blinking dumbly Sanji just stared at the man in confusion as he sat – once more fully clothed in his lap – as he just smiled up endearingly at the blond.  “Wha-?”

 

“Get up.  I got something for you.” Zoro murmured quietly, the husky tone to his words making Sanji's curiosity spike intensely as he remained sitting on him awkwardly.  Slowly removing himself from the man, he tried to ignoring the wet feeling between his legs and his erection straining against his zipper.  Watching as his Dom snatched up his duffel and dug through it for a moment before pulling out a shiny, black shopping bag and returning to the couch.

 

Zoro handed the bag to Sanji as he the blond took the proffered gift with slightly trembling hands, noting the weight and size of the item immediately and beginning to already imagine several inappropriate things within.  Reaching in, his hands met the thin, flexible cardboard of the box and pulled it out with slight trepidation, already imagining what it most likely was.

 

Sanji's cheeks lit up in an inferno of a blush as he noted what was within the box he was holding, not sure if he should be turned on or sincere about the gift.  Noting the large neon green dildo in the shrink wrapped packaging with growing embarrassment,  Zoro's earlier words took on a whole other meaning.  Was this what the man meant by earning it?

 

“C'mon.” Zoro chuckled, throwing his duffel over his shoulder and affectionately cradling Sanji's chin in his hand, “Show me your room.”

 

Swallowing thickly, Sanji nearly tripped over his feet in his haste to show the man his room, desperately trying to ignore the throbbing from his ass at suddenly being empty.  Though he figured it must have been all part of Zoro's evil genius plan, because why else would he bring Sanji so close to completion and then act like none of it had ever happen.  In hindsight, he really shouldn't be surprised anymore.

 

Leading the man down the hallway, he hoped the Dom wouldn't notice the slightly awkward limp as his pants were once again too tight.  Pushing open the door to his room, he let Zoro enter first as he gave a cursory thought as to if the place was clean enough before following in after him.  Sanji watched timidly as Zoro dumped his duffel on the bed and was once more insanely curious as to what could possibly be inside.

 

Zoro caught Sanji's look, glancing down at the duffel before back at Sanji with a knowing smirk, “Wanna know what's in the bag?”

 

“Am I allowed to say yes?” Sanji teased lightly, knowing that once they were in the bedroom it was a totally new set of rules.  The contract he had signed earlier that day was a testament to that; they were now in Zoro's domain and as thrilling as it was to tease the Dom, it was even more exciting to think about how the man planned to put him in his place.

 

The amusement was clear on Zoro's face as the corner of his lip twitched visibly and his eyebrow arched ever-so-subtly, but he gave no notion to actually responding to Sanji's question.  Instead he turned his back on the blond, and shifted the straps out of the way before dragging the zipper back slowly.

 

“In gratitude for finding my wallet,” Zoro explained as he eyed the contents to make sure they were all accounted for before turning back to Sanji, “I figured I'd reward you and let you have a say in what we do tonight.”

 

“Oh?” Sanji questioned curiously, the mumble more than adequate to explain his clear curiosity in what Zoro was possibly suggesting.

 

“I was reading over your list, and I gathered that you seem to have a thing for pain...” Zoro mused with a quirked smile, watching Sanji with sharp eyes before facetiously inquiring, “Or am I wrong?”

 

“No, you're right.” Sanji nodded quickly, taking a step forward as Zoro just chuckled in satisfaction and reached for the bag.  Turning it upside down and depositing the contents across the cover of the bed with a few sharp jerks before tossing the bag to the side.  He only took a moment to sort out the items before stepping aside and letting Sanji take a closer look as he muttered in quiet shock, “W-what's all this?”

 

“Our fun for the evening.” Zoro purred suggestively.  “I said I'd give you a say; pick whatever you want me to use on you tonight.”

 

Sanji glanced at the many items littering the bed spread as he tried to decide what exactly he could possibly choose from the erotically stimulating selection.  It was akin to putting a kid in a candy store and telling to only pick three things; how could you do it in good conscience without being guilty and resentful over the things you didn't select?  In actuality it seemed a pity to neglect any of the amazing assortments of tools and items; each of which had a different use and exciting outcome.

 

There were handcuffs in varying styles – metal, leather, and rope – each of which set Sanji's skin skittering in anticipation, body tensing as he scanned the various beating devices lain out beside the bondage tools.  Riding crops, whips and a large wooden paddle prominently took up the left side of the bed.  Strewn across the rest was a bright silver cock ring that glinted in the dim lighting, a long strand of matte black anal beads, and a bright red ball gag.  The more confusing and interesting bits were near the duffel; a bag of clothes pins, a switch blade and a lighter with several candles.

 

While he was interested in everything that was proffered on the bed, Sanji felt that starting with items he wasn't exactly sure how to use was not the best course of action.  With somewhat childish trepidation he replaced the clothes pins, candles and lighter, blade, anal beads, and a couple of the whips back in the bag; leaving out the rest of the toys and the few whips that had set his blood tripping in excitement upon first seeing them.

 

Throughout the whole ordeal Zoro had watch silently, arms crossed over his broad chest and critical eyes watching his every move as though he were silently judging Sanji.  Knowing the green-haired man, he was probably actually evaluating Sanji on his choices and most likely creating some sort of psychological profile on what Sanji's decisions meant about his personality.

 

“Interesting.” Zoro grunted, arms unfolding as he stepped forward to trail his hand across the remaining items on the bed thoughtfully.  Fingers stopping to drum lightly across the handle of the flaying whip before turning to Sanji with a pointed look.

 

“What?” Sanji snapped only slightly defensively, physically fighting the urge to shift his feet nervously as Zoro turned back to the items, appraising them once more before selecting a pair of padded Velcro cuffs off the bedspread.  Personally, Sanji would've assumed Zoro would have chosen the metal, but he wasn't about to question him.

 

“Nothing.” Zoro shrugged, approaching Sanji with a leisurely cant, cuffs hanging from a precariously extended finger as they rocked hypnotically with every step that brought the man closer to him.  “Just a pretty intense selection for starting out.”

 

“I like a challenge.” Sanji sneered cheekily as Zoro took the final step into the blond's space.

 

“So do I.” Zoro grinned, hands hooking on the hem of Sanji's shirt and pulling it over his head in a swift motion.  Tossing the garment aside Sanji was barely given a moment to manage his tousled hair before Zoro was back on him, free hand hooking around his waist to pull him into a demanding kiss.

 

Mouth occupied, Zoro made quick work of clasping the first cuff onto Sanji's wrist before murmuring against Sanji's kiss bruised lips, “Front or back?”

 

It took a few seconds for Sanji's sex dazed mind to register what Zoro was asking, assuming the man meant where he wanted his hands cuffed.  Behind the back was always hot, but if he wanted Zoro to use any of those whips he'd need his back free.  Settling on his choice, he replied quickly, “Front.”

 

Zoro didn't comment on Sanji's choice, just wrapped the padded cuff around Sanji's other wrist and cinched it tight as his mouth lowered to Sanji's jaw, nipping at the bone playfully before trailing lower.  Lips and tongue grazing the tense tendons in Sanji's neck, and Sanji obliged by tilting his head to the side to give his Dom more room to bite at the offered skin.

 

Mouth abusing Sanji's neck, he stood helplessly with his hands bound together in front of him as he was pinned to Zoro's front.  Strong arms wrapped around him possessively as he enjoyed being crushed in the muscular embrace; the man's bulging arms curled around him as his own chest was pressed the sculpted front of the other man.  It was a pity that Sanji hadn't managed to get Zoro to take his shirt off, though he felt like Zoro wouldn't have let him anyway...

 

Once Zoro seemed satisfied with his scoping and tasting of Sanji's body he pulled back, hands giving a final, possessive  _knead_  to the muscle in Sanji's ass.  Letting him go and turning him around abruptly as he walked Sanji over to the foot of the bed.

 

“On your knees.” Zoro grunted viciously, hand tangling sharply in blond hair as he pushed the man to his knees at the foot board of the bed.  Sanji stumbled slightly under the aggressive treatment, knees thudding dully as they collided with the carpeted floor.

 

Grabbing the chain and hefting Sanji's arms up roughly, Zoro hooked it around the tall bed post before leaning over the foot board to assess the items there.  Arms rose up to cross over his broad chest, biceps unintentionally bulging from the tight arm lock as he drummed his fingers lightly on his upper arm.  Sharp, calculating eyes skittered across the bed, lips pursing lightly, as he seemed to be debating what to use first; though Sanji wouldn't put it past the man to be making a game plan for the items as well.

 

After a few moments that felt more like torturous hours, Zoro reached out and Sanji waited with bated breath for what could possibly be Zoro's weapon of choice.  A thick swallow worked its way painfully down Sanji's throat as he felt his jeans tighten to near painful levels as his mouth began to salivate at the sight of the flail whip.  Large handle held effortlessly in Zoro's palm as the long, enticing strips of leather dangled from the end erotically.

 

“As of now,” Zoro mused casually, tone dropping an entire octave as he seemed to have abandoned his soft tenor and replaced with a menacing baritone, bringing his free hand up to trail the leather strands across thoughtfully, “no more talking unless I specifically ask you a question.  Understand?”

 

The tone alone had Sanji's once watering mouth going drier than a desert, tongue numb as he opted to nod somewhat over excitedly in response to his Dom's question.

 

“Good.” Zoro grunted in satisfaction, and Sanji really shouldn't find approval from the man arousing, but he shuddered pleasantly anyway.  Hands flexing nervously he watched as Zoro stalked around the room until he was positioned behind Sanji, just barely out of the blond's peripheral, “What safe word do you wish to use?”

 

Working through a dry swallow, Sanji managed thickly as the first word that popped into his head, “Flour.”  Immediately feeling embarrassed afterwards at having chosen something so dull and uninventive.

 

Zoro however, didn't seem to think so, and merely acknowledged it by responding, “Understood.”

 

Sanji was given no warning before jerking forward at the sudden sensation of the strands of the whip snapping along his back, arching away from it and breathing out sharply in a pleasured hiss.  It stung, but only or a moment, it was the aftermath that was a glorified moment wrapped up in perfection.  A millisecond of stinging pain followed by a glorious burn that sunk deep into his skin and twisted until a sharp spike of adrenaline could be felt rushing below the surface.  Over and over the radiant feeling practically glowed from the wounds being emblazoned on his back... and it was addicting.

 

Better than any drug or narcotic, any possible high, this was something he craved above all else.  The pain, yes, the pain was arousing beyond belief, but the true addiction came from situation entirely: on his knees, bound and restricted while Zoro loomed behind him; still fully clothed as he brandished the flaying whip with casual affinity.  Strapped to the edge of his bed he was completely and utterly controlled – used and owned – and he _loved it_.

 

Knowing that despite what could possibly happen – despite the pain and brutality – he could hand himself over to this man, body and mind, and know that he was safe.  That was the ultimate moment, to know that his trust was so strong that he wasn't afraid.  That this pleasure and pain coursing through him could last for as long as this man wanted, but never so much so as to truly harm him.

 

Another harsh strike and Sanji's head dipped forward between his arms, groaning low as his cock gave a pitiful twitch between his thighs, leaving a small streak of precum in its wake.  Jerking at his wrists lightly he desperately wanted to reach down and relieve himself, but at the same time never wanted to reach that peak.

 

Struggling was the best part after all.

 

As stupid and ridiculous as it was, to win would not give him closure.  It was a ridiculous, never fulfilling battle that Sanji loved to partake in.  To struggle and fight but never actually be able to win; that was just another aspect that made this whole sexual scenario so hot. Having his wrists pinned and fighting against it with all his might, but to never actually break the grip.  Being bound to the bed and wanting to touch himself, but not actually ever wanting the cuffs to break.  It was a vicious battle of vicissitudes.

 

More and more strikes were littered across his back, continually dragging him closer to the edge while also getting him nowhere near where he needed to be.  Sanji found himself reaching a glorious plateau as he rocked his body back to meet the next strike, making the leather sink that much harder into his flesh, bring him that much closer to cumming.

 

And suddenly it all stopped, and Sanji could hear the dull thump as the flay was dropped to the ground and the heavy step of Zoro approaching him from behind.  Sanji could hear the man drop into a crouch behind him and Sanji held his breath as he awaited whatever the man planned on doing to him next.

 

“Mm.” Zoro let slip an appreciative groan, “I wish you could see your back...”

 

A gentle hand reached up to drag across the sensitive flesh, fingers drawing down the swelling lines that Sanji could so easily feel marked into his back.  Shivering from the touch he involuntarily arched away from the fingertips as the odd counter sensations to the pain were becoming too much.

 

“Your skin marks so well.” Zoro mused with that same heated tone that had Sanji shivering, “Like strips of pink quartz on white marble.”

 

Sanji shuddered helplessly at the appraising words, his own mind traitorously supplying images of what he must look like; down on his knees, hands bound, and back a glorious canvas of criss-crossed raised red lines.  Another electric shiver travelled up his spine as he imagined going to work the next day, feeling the healing wounds under his shirt every time he would move, and it would be a precious secret that would be his alone; no one would ever know what perversion lay just out of their sight.

 

A hand wrapped around his waist suddenly, dragging him from his imaginings, as Zoro moved him over to the bed before depositing him on it with little finesse.  Catching himself with his still bound hands, he made to turn over but a hand pressing into the dip of his lower back made him pause.  “Stay down.”

 

Remaining laying on his stomach, elbows propped underneath him he waited with bated breath as he felt the bed dip with Zoro's added weight as the man climbed onto the mattress and came to kneel behind him.  Silent as he ran both his hands adoringly up Sanji's back, fingers caressing the marks and wounds as a sudden wetness made him realize that some of the lashings had managed to break skin.  It shouldn't have been as hot as it was, but the image of Zoro running his hands up Sanji's bloody back was intensely arousing.

 

When he seemed to have his fill, his hands circled around to once more work Sanji's pants from his hips, though this time fully removing the garment from his legs; leaving him completely bare and revealed in front of the other man who remained fully clothed. While he knew Zoro had promised not to fuck him yet, it was starting to become his all-time favourite fantasy; Zoro fully clothed while bending Sanji over the nearest surface and fucking him senseless.

 

“Up on your knees.” Zoro ordered softly yet sternly as he withdrew his hands and Sanji obliged, shifting until his knees were properly underneath his shaking torso and his elbows pitifully crushed under his chest in a futile attempt to keep his face from being crushed into the bedspread.  It was practically useless though, as Zoro took a commanding grip on his hips to adjust him to an angle that suited the man, and caused Sanji's face to fall between his trembling arms and smack fully into the bed.

 

“Good.” Zoro crooned approvingly at Sanji's new position, and Sanji had to take few panting breaths into the covers to calm himself before trying to focus on what was happening behind him.  There was a gentle caress of fabric on his right side and then Zoro's arm was wrapping around him, and he was gasping as cold metal was placed to the base of his cock and then the ring was locked in place with a stark, echoing click.

 

The sudden gagging pressure on the underside of his dick simultaneously made him desperate to cum, while simultaneously  realizing he couldn't.  This wasn't his first time being victim to orgasm denial, but a real cock ring was definitely new territory and had him completely distracted as he tried to adjust to the new and weighty sensation circling the base of his dick.

 

“Ah!” A sharp gasp escaped his mouth as Zoro's hand wasted little time with getting reacquainted with Sanji's lubed region, already twisting two fingers deep inside as his other hand fell to the blond's back.  Biting his lip Sanji tried to keep from being too obnoxiously loud over how good it felt to have the man back inside him, lest Zoro decide he should remove his fingers again.

 

“Fuck, you're just sucking me in...' Zoro breathed in nothing short of awe, nails digging into Sanji's bloody back to drag the man back onto Zoro's fingers with a guttural moan of approval, “Your body is just aching for me, isn't it? Wet, and stretched, and throbbing for its rightful owner? A little bit of whipping and fingering, and you become my little bitch, it's that easy.  Isn't it?”

 

Fuuuck.

 

Sanji internally groaned and rocked his hips back as he let himself drown in the erotic tremor of Zoro's voice.  Since their Skype session he'd known that he was in love with this man's amazingly sexual voice, but until now he had really  _no idea_  just how addictive and arousing it was.  Not to mention, how God damned filthy Zoro could be...

 

A resonant slap rung out in the small bed room as Zoro's hand connected hard and sure with Sanji's left butt cheek, emblazoning it with a perfect imprint of his large hand.  The stinging sensation was far more vivid than the thin strips of leather and Sanji found himself yelping in shock, embarrassingly tinged with pain.  A heavy burning set in and Sanji dropped his head, teething at his tongue to keep from sucking in a pitiful gasp.

 

Before he could even recover another vicious slap was delivered to his rear and this time he did cry out, gasping wantonly as the hit was punctuated with the adding of a third finger.  Sanji could feel the man lean forward, bed dipping under his knees as he growled low in Sanji's ear, “Isn't that right?”

 

Sanji nodded his head vigorously, throat locking up over the hand still inside him; twisting, stretching, massaging.  It had his cock hanging thick and heavy between his legs, begging to be touched, head red and dripping as the mixture of pain and pleasure was driving him insane.  It was stupid but he was already so close to coming and they had barely gotten started; considering how experienced Zoro was, it was damn fucking embarrassing.

 

“Isn't. It?” Zoro hissed impatiently, leaning back to force another wicked slap to Sanji's rear, fingers digging into the flesh afterwards, rubbing and clawing at the burning red flesh as Sanji found his initial gasp trailing off into a small stuttered moan.  The first couple of strikes were always intense, but once his body got acquainted with the burn he very quickly began craving it.

 

“Y-uh-es...” Sanji murmured out throatily, rocking his hips back as much as he was allowed as he met the next slap with relish and bowed back of pleasure, “Unnhh... Fuuuuck...”

 

“Shameless.” Zoro scoffed as he gifted Sanji with another strike, alternating between idly rocking his hips against the back of Sanji's thighs, before eyeing a new spot to brand with his hand, “Moaning and drooling over my hands like a two dollar whore.  I'll have you worshipping my hands before we're through.  You'll be licking yourself off my fingers.  You'd probably get off on it too.”

 

“Yeeeesss!” Sanji hissed out happily, cuffed hands finding the base of head board and using it as leverage to push back and help ride into the next spanking.  It was cut short as the hand tangled in his hair, roughly pinning his face into the covers as Zoro bore down on top of him, fingers stilling inside him as the Dom bit out viciously.

 

“Did I ask you a question?” Zoro's grip tightened in Sanji's hair, and Sanji could already feel some of them being pulled out.  Back bowing uncomfortably as the healing lacerations to his back were irritated at the angle, “DID I SAY YOU COULD TALK?”

 

Sanji shook his head as much as Zoro's controlling grip could allow, face still jammed into the pillow.  Zoro waited a few seconds to make sure his point was made, before his grip loosened and he leaned back fully.  Fingers trailing delicately down Sanji's spine as he mused with a calm demeanor that had not been present mere seconds before, “We both know you're a difficult one, but I will break you.”

 

Zoro's fingers stopped mid back, drumming lightly before picking a cut and digging his index finger in sharply, gaining a cry of pain from Sanji as he chuckled, “Eventually.”

 

Whimpering into his pillow, Sanji wasn't exactly sure what he was starting to break down over; the pain from Zoro punishing him, or the aching throb from his dick at each stimulus that would never be the key to him actually coming.  At first he had enjoyed the cold, pressure of the cock ring around the base of his dick, but now he was beginning to curse the damned object.

 

“Mmm.” Zoro hummed approvingly, a reassuring hand sliding down the rest of Sanji's back as he removed his other hand from within the blond, “You're ready.”

 

Sanji could sense Zoro behind him leaning back to grab another few items off the end of the bed, but decided against looking lest the man decide to punish him even more.  Though that thought wasn't without its merits; perhaps another few spanks to his thighs and he will have learned his lesson...

 

Black cloth was suddenly draped over his eyes, Zoro adjusting the blindfold appropriately before tying it behind Sanji's head with practiced skill that made Sanji wonder just how much experience Zoro had in this field.  There was then the sound of rustling plastic and the ripping open of packaging, and it only made Sanji's mind wander further as to what Zoro could possibly be opening.  His cheeks grew bright red at the thought that perhaps it was Zoro's gift from earlier.

 

His suspicions were proved correct a moment later as the thick, bulbous head of the silicone cock was placed to Sanji's prepped hole.  From the lax grip on his hip, Sanji could tell Zoro was still just having fun, as he began tracing up and down Sanji's cleft with the object, teasingly pushing the head against his hole before pulling it away and letting it run until it perched innocently on his lower back.

 

Sanji knew he wasn't allowed to talk but he was almost considering biting his tongue to keep from crying out in frustration.  Over an hour of teasing and all Sanji wanted was to finally be filled with something that could bring him closure.  Fingers weren't enough, he need more, craved more.  Zoro had barely done anything but he was already so desperate to be filled.

 

It was becoming more difficult to discern what Zoro planned on doing next since his vision had been revoked, and smell was already clogged with the thick scent of lube and sex that hung so obviously in the air.  Relying entirely on his ears, he tried to make out what the man could possibly be doing behind him, though the light shift of his weight on the bed and swish of his shirt didn't tell much.

 

Large hand adjusting its grip on Sanji's hip, he curiously wondered what the man was preparing for and nearly choked on his tongue as Zoro swiftly angled the tip inside and shoved a good inch of the plastic in him.  Sanji pressed his forehead in his clenched fists, refraining from screaming out at finally having something  _big_  inside him, filling him, stretching him.

 

“Unh, fuck...” Zoro muttered softly, thumb coming down to press at his stretched rim, pushing inside slightly and kneading at the flesh playfully, “Your hole is so red and stretched... wish you could see how fuckable you look right now.”

 

“On your knees, ass up, just begging to be fucked.” Zoro crooned tauntingly; thumb removing itself achingly slowly before returning to the base of the dildo, “Begging to be owned.”

 

The last word was punctuated by Zoro forcing the dildo forward sharply, the object bottoming out in Sanji's slick passage and drawing a tortured moan from deep in Sanji's throat, “Uuunghh!”

 

Curling in on himself on the bed, he tried to refrain from bucking back too hard on the glorious feeling of finally –  _finally_  – being filled completely.  Taking in lungful’s of air he tried to adjust to the sudden stretch, working to relax himself so Zoro could start moving it inside him, but when he finally felt a little more calm; he was able to note that Zoro wasn't even holding the silicone dick anymore.

 

There was a sudden movement behind him, and it didn't quite register properly in his mind at first, until the coarse sensation scraped across one of the more tender lines that highlighted his rear.  The rough denim clawing at his sensitive flesh had him jerking his hips forward involuntarily to get away from the startling sensation, though regretting it immediately as his body clenched down around the large dildo seated inside him.

 

Sanji could practically hear the smug grin that broke across Zoro's face as Sanji worked to adjust to the object inside him, hand falling to the end that was still visible and pushing it in deeper.  Fingers splayed across Sanji's cheek as his thumb perched on the end, grinding it in despite it already being fully seated as Sanji squirmed on bed below him.

 

Sanji felt the bed dip somewhere to his left, the soft brushing of skin on skin made Sanji realize Zoro had placed his hand just above his shoulder, another shifting movement and he felt Zoro's jean clad knee straddle his thigh. Frowning into his blindfold in confusion Sanji tried to understand what Zoro was doing, unless he of course was planning to undo his jeans and finally follow through on fucking Sanji as thoroughly as he had promised.

 

However what happened next wasn't entirely what he was expecting, but it wasn't at all unwanted.  Zoro's next movement had Sanji collapsing into the bed covers, face grating into the plush bed spread and hips shuddering in pleasure as the long, hard silicone dick within him was jammed forward with intense strength.  Arms shaking, he barely had a moment to collect his scattered, useless thoughts before that same mind altering force was ramming the dildo deeper into him.

 

Beyond the pleasure radiating from deep in his gut, stinging in his toes, making his head pound, and the pain that sliced through his back, pulsed through his wrists, burned at his rear; things as trivial as thinking or breathing were completely useless.  But through that thick onslaught of sensations he could vaguely make out the rough feeling of denim on the back of his thighs and ass, and a strip of leather slapping against his ass with each pounding thrust as it became dizzyingly apparently the Zoro was using his belt buckle to thrust the pulsing dildo deeper into Sanji with the power of his own hips.

 

And it really shouldn't have been as hot as it seemed, but the simple thought that Zoro was still fully dressed – while Sanji himself was completely nude – and was currently fucking him breathless with only the precise movements of his hips and a plastic dick; had Sanji shuddering even harder underneath the other man.  Thoughts scattered as he vaguely wondered how much more intense it would be when it was actually Zoro inside of him, and perhaps how much more force the man could put behind his perfect, grinding thrusts.

 

All musings of future encounters however were wiped clean from his mind as a reassuring, calloused hand slid down and under to clasp across his stomach, fingers digging in as he used the grip to keep Sanji's hips from sliding further into the mattress.  Holding himself up with one hand as the other supported Sanji's hips, Sanji could vaguely feel the brush of Zoro's shirt on his scarred back before thin lips were pressed to his ear and murmuring, “Normally I wouldn't ask permission, but seeing as how I'm still indebted to you; I'll let you set the pace.  Faster?”

 

Sanji’s hips jerked at the thought alone, even as Zoro continued his hard, slow rhythmic thrusting into Sanji's rear and Sanji moaned thickly into his pillow, “Yes, fuck~ Hard and fast.  Please, already!”

 

Zoro huffed a slightly breathless laugh at Sanji's pleas before adjusting his grip, shifting his arm to grip Sanji's shoulder and press the writhing blond further into the mattress as his other hooked around his waist to grasp at his muscled hip so as to drag the blond back with each rolling grind.  The change in angle had the cold metal buckle slipping from the base of the dildo to press at the cleft of his ass while the thick swell of denim slipped between instead to grind along his hole.

 

Whimpering into the bed spread Sanji bit the covers as his entire reality focused solely on the clothed erection currently grinding into him and forcing the green dildo in even deeper.  Faster and harder, the denim tip rubbing against his quivering, lubed hole as Sanji imagined it was truly Zoro inside him; making him quake in need.  Sanji could feel the tip driving further and further within him, hitting deeper and deeper as each thrust felt like it was pounding into the base of his throat.  Forcing out groaning breaths and pitiful grunts as the intensity of his world shifted from his ass to his cock.

 

Opening watery eyes against his blindfold, he was met with blackness, but he could easily imagine the red, swollen head of his cock as precum desperately leaked from the constrained organ.  The cock ring ensuring that no matter how much he was stimulated he would never cum, never reach his release, never be fulfilled.

 

Zoro abruptly released him, letting Sanji fall helplessly to the bed as the man leaned back confidently on his haunches, canting Sanji's hips up as his hand came down in a swift motion on Sanji's already throbbing rear.  The old wounds from earlier that had settled were brought back to life with stark clarity, Sanji screaming into his pillow as the pain caused his body to clench around the dildo within him.

 

Everything within him fought the urge, but the surmounting pain and pleasure was leaving him breathless and the tears had already fallen.  Sobbing into the sheets, Sanji thanked the blindfold for soaking up his tears as he did nothing short of scream, the sound only muffled by his teeth grinding into the sheets below him.  Despite gagging himself Sanji wasn't sure whether or not the neighbours would hear, and he was very quickly losing his ability to be in control of whether or not they would.  Screams and whimpers being forcefully pounded out of him by the man behind him.

 

A rather pointedly placed thrust from Zoro's hips had the plastic dick sliding in at a harsh, deep angle that grinded against his prostate roughly, dragging a long plaintive keen from the blond.  Back arching as he tossed his head back to scream as the following thrust only drove the silicone in deeper.  However the cry never left his lips, as a large hand clamped over his mouth and he was hefted back bodily until he was in Zoro's lap, angle on the dildo lost from his new seated position.

 

“Loud.” Zoro grunted beratingly, shifting Sanji in his lap as he kept his hand firmly clasped over the blond's mouth, fingers and palm already saliva slick, “As I thought.”

 

Sanji just nodded breathlessly, nodding in his agreement and partial apology as Zoro's free hand lowered back down to jam the plastic in sharply in punishment and Sanji arched in response, crying into the Dom's palm.  Sanji could vaguely feel the grin Zoro placed into his throat as the Dom thrust the dildo playfully into Sanji several more times, clearly ecstatic by Sanji's spasming reactions.

 

“You definitely need to be gagged in the future.” Zoro mused with a tone far too calm for the current situation, it nearly made Sanji seethed that Zoro could maintain such composure when Sanji was sure he was about to have an aneurysmof the mind or dick.

 

“Mmn nm omm.” Sanji moaned helplessly into Zoro's palm, mostly just grunting the syllables than actually getting any sort of phrase out.  Still it managed to pique Zoro's curiosity and he slowed his thrusting to gentle grind as he removed his hand.

 

“What was that?” Zoro inquired with a grin.

 

“Take it off.” Sanji pleaded breathlessly, cuffed hands itching to lower and calm his aching dick.  It been so long since he had experienced blue balls on this scale; his balls were literally  _aching_ , the vein on the underside of his sock was stinging, and the head of his erection felt like it was being crushed.

 

“Oh, this?” Zoro mused with a cheeky grin, hand lowering to finger at the metal ring teasingly before drawing up the shaft in a long, hard tug.  Clutching tightly as his thumb dug into the swollen head and causing Sanji to arch bodily with a pained cry.  One more painful tug that had Sanji arching bodily in Zoro's grip before the Dom released him completely as he chastised, “But you wanted me to put it on you; why should I take it off?”

 

“N-Need to come.” Sanji stuttered breathlessly, clenching around the pulsing dildo still being repeated shoved into him at a pace that was causing him to choke on every second breath.  Heaving a desperate breath as he managed to choke out, “C-Can't come with it...”

 

“Aw.” Zoro crooned, nuzzling his nose into the hair behind the blond's ear, inhaling sharply as he drummed his fingers thoughtfully on the metal ring.  Humming pleasantly at Sanji's hiss and bucked hips before murmuring tauntingly, “Pity.”

 

An actual sob of deprivation was ripped from Sanji at the single word, and he let the tears flow freely behind the blindfold as he reminded himself that he wanted this.  Despite how desperate he was to come, it couldn't out rival the fact that this whole situation he was currently in was the reason he craved it to begin with.  Nothing else could get him this hard, this bloody desperate and needy for release.

 

Sanji was bodily turned around so he was straddling Zoro's kneeling thighs, cuffed arms adjusted until they were hooked comfortably around Zoro's neck as the Dom pulled the dildo out enough to get a sure grip on the base.  Other hand stroking soothingly up the blond's thigh he ordered sternly, “Ride.”

 

A stuttering breath skipped over Sanji's lips as he was practically gasping painfully, slap riddled thighs and rear tensing as he lifted himself slowly before lowering back down.  The hard plastic was a wonderful relief, but at the same time hardly knew what he really wanted.  Eyes still bathed in darkness, he focused solely on the stretching slide of the object inside him, intent on bringing himself off.

 

Up and down, up and down, taking his pleasure into his own hands as drove the object as fast and deep as he could give his position.  Hard and unpliable – completely unlike a cock – it hit something deep inside of him with each down stroke, causing his breath to catch in his throat in a lame excuse for a hiccup and his thighs to quiver at the intensity.  It was messy, erratic, and uncoordinated but all Sanji could focus on was the harder he rode the closer he felt to finding that final point of release somewhere within him.

 

Senses completely useless, as touch was the only reliable thing left, and even then he wasn't sure where he ended and where Zoro began.  All of it blending together as he was reaching his peak, mind going blank in his single and solitary need to cum.

 

Zoro seemed to take pity on him as his hand travelled higher, taking Sanji's weeping cock in a sturdy grip and working the leaking organ in a few eager strokes that had Sanji's rhythm faltering as he groaned weakly.  Fuck, he was so close – could practically feel his orgasm shifting just out of reach – the only thing that wasn't there was the release.

 

“Don't stop moving.” Zoro ordered thickly, the words hardly registering in Sanji's subconscious, only barely noticing how strained the man had sounded.

 

A shuddering breath left Sanji as he followed Zoro's orders, trying to ignore the burning ache beginning to take place all over his body as he kept riding the hard dong in the man’s hand as hard as he could.  Every sensation muddled together: cock throbbing painfully, back stinging delightfully, thighs burning pleasantly, toes curling impossibly, teeth grinding together.  Even the back of arms were sore for reasons Sanji couldn't fathom; his whole body was begging for release and he was pretty sure he was going to go insane.

 

Sanji barely noticed it when Zoro's hand unlocked the cock ring from his dick and removed the object, all he knew was that it caused the penultimate culmination of the past hour being released at once.  Thighs literally quaking as his release shook through him, hands tangling in Zoro's hair and teeth latching onto the man's shoulder lest he bite his tongue through the painful release.

 

Blindfold completely useless as the white edged at his vision and the gut wrenching sensation reached its peak, his entire body went rigid as the last quivers of his orgasm rocked his body and was immediately hit with a head rush that had him falling lax in Zoro's hold as everything in his mind went completely blank.

 

~X~

 

Everything was hazy, sensations and images weaving in and out of his vision, blackness engulfing the edges as he tried to discern what was around him.  The softness of the bed underneath him pressed into his front and palms, the hot sensation of Zoro's chest pressing into his back, and a moist breath at his ear and whispered words, “It's okay. Go back to sleep.”

 

Blinking did nothing but cause the darkness to descend faster and in a moment Sanji felt the warmth of the pillow on his cheek and was once more claimed by unconsciousness.

 

~X~

 

When Sanji next opened his eyes he was on his front, covers pulled up just above his buttocks, his back tingling with pleasant warmth.  Everything about him felt heavy and light all at the same time, skin and body buzzing in euphoria but limbs far too heavy to lift.  Vaguely, he could hear soft breathing to his right and he lifted his head with an amazing amount of difficulty, turning and dropping it back to the bed as he eyed the man next to him.

 

Zoro must have discarded his clothing at some point, because he was completely naked, arm propped under his head as pillow as he dozed lightly.  Usually hard features, drastically softened as steady, calming breaths caused the larger man's chest and shoulders to rise and fall rhythmically.

 

Dazed, yet utterly blissful Sanji watched the hypnotic motions as he was awed at the fact that he was currently even in this situation.  Lying in bed with the most gorgeous man he had ever met, after having easily the most mind blowing sex he had ever experienced to date.  In his twenty one years of life he had never once passed out from an orgasm; and now he didn't know whether he should be ecstatic or embarrassed.

 

Would Zoro be annoyed?  Or was that what the man had wanted to happen?

 

The man had stayed, was clearly spending the night so he must not have been too pissed about Sanji's early exit.  Plus, judging by the slimy sensation on his back – cool and soothing – Zoro must have applied some form of salve to ease the ache on the cuts.  Not to mention that he had been cleaned up with an extreme amount of care, he hardly felt any traces of lube near his rear, nor cum between his thighs.

 

Sanji had known that they had agreed to Zoro being responsible for his after care, but it still left him feeling oddly flattered and fuzzy.  Squirming slightly at the glowing warmth of embarrassment that was growing in his chest, he tried to refrain from making any noises as he shifted slightly to get more comfortable.  It seemed Zoro was a light sleeper, as the small motion and him grunting awake softly.

 

Zoro's eyes cracked open slowly, revealing soft brown before gifting Sanji with a tender smile, “You okay?”

 

“I can't move.” Sanji mumbled into his pillow, far too lazy to lift his head so that his speech wouldn't be slurred.  A satisfied grin tugged at his lips as he murmureds, “Don' wanna.”

 

That pulled a soft chuckle from Zoro, more of just a lifting of his shoulders than anything else.  Easing himself closer to Sanji's side Zoro settled a soothing hand to his lower back as he mumbled, “Good.  Just sleep.  I'll wake you at eight.”

 

“You're awesome.” Sanji grinned lethargically, “Just perfect.”

 

“I try.” Zoro muttered wryly, keeping his hand away from the salve on Sanji's back as he curled in until Sanji's side was pressed fully against his front.  In the protective hold Sanji once more drifted off into the most blissful sleep he had had in ages.

 

TBC

 

 


	9. The Man in the Marionette

Darkness clung to the city, though the warmth of spring kept the night humid as the two teens hurried up the grandiose marble steps to the Grand Line Museum. The large, imposing structure casting shadows across the street below and bathing the entrance in darkness.

“C'mon, Apis.” Pepper urged with a sly grin as they neared the front door, digging in his pocket to pull out a pair of keys, “Quit dawdling.”

“I thought we were going to the movies.” Apis huffed dramatically, pulling on a braid nervously as she cast a glance around her to make sure no one had noticed them, “We shouldn't be here.”

“No one's going to find out.” Pepper assured as he worked the lock with the key, “I know all the codes, plus the blind spots on the cameras; they won't even be able to tell we were here.”

“Just because you work here doesn't mean you can sneak in whenever you want.” Apis argued, “That's not how a job works.”

“It's just this once.” Pepper promised with a smile as the lock clicked and the door gave way and he held it open for the young girl, “After you.”

Apis cast a nervous glance into the dark building, arms coming up to hold herself as she shivered lightly, “There's a curfew for a reason, Pepper.”

“You're safe with me.” Pepper chuckled, “No creepy serial killer will get you while I'm around.”

“Really?” Apis raised an eyebrow skeptically before scoffing sardonically, “My hero.”

“Everyone who's been taken is always been on their own.” Pepper pressed, “They're not going to come after two of us, it's just not smart.”

Apis cast another annoyed glance around, resolve weakening before finally caving. “If we do this quickly, then can we leave and go somewhere with people and where it's not so dark.”

“Yeah, yeah, alright I promise.” Pepper acceded with a charming smile.

They wandered through the underwater exhibit where the silicone water models cast flickering blues across the ceiling from the light of their cellphones, the sharks and whales casting morphed shadows on the walls. In the insect room the butterflies and spiders that were pinned to the walls behind glass had an eerie beauty to them. In the space room the ceiling was lit up in a glorious array of stars that couldn't rival even the most intense night, a chunck of a comet hung dangling from the ceiling precarious.

“C'mooon.” Pepper prodded with a smile, “Admit it. This was pretty cool.”

“Alright.” Apis agreed with a small roll of her eyes, “It was pretty cool.”

Pepper smiled fondly at the girl as she teased him, leaning over from where he was sitting to hopefully place a kiss on her lips. She dodged it playfully as she sprung to her feet, eyes glittering coyly as she spun to point towards one of the signs that pointed off further into the museum.

“We should at least see the Jurassic exhibit before we leave.”

Pepper chuckled quietly at her cheesy deflection and pushed himself up, offering her his hand that she took easily, “Alright, wait till you see the bones at night. Way cooler than in the day time. Reminds me of the scene where the power goes out in Jurassic Park.”

“If you're trying to scare me it's not going to work.” Apis snorted lightly as they continued down the hall to the next room.

“Oh, I'm not.” Pepper grinned as they rounded the corner, “But this might.”

Between the Jurassic exhibit and the Space exhibit was the Entertainment exhibit; which at night took on an extremely creepy aura. Everything from old television sets to ancient toys were housed here to show the evolution of entertainment throughout time; there was even a small encased smartphone at the end of the room to show where entertainment had currently arrived at today.

“Oh God.” Apis bemoaned quietly as she cast a glance around the large room, “This is so creepy; can we not go through here?”

“It's a short section,” Pepper assured, “and it leads to the Jurassic exhibit.”

“Fine.” Apis muttered, her hand tightening its grip as they wove their way through the large display cases filled with old wooden rocking horses and a doll house that was inspired from Victorian architecture, “These toys could be from a horror film.”

Pepper just chuckled as they neared the middle of the room, a large display case housing an old marionette coming into view that was significantly less creepy when lit up by an exhibition light. At night the doll sat hunched over in its confinement with its face hidden in the shadows.

“Ugh,” Apis muttered, moving closer to Pepper, “dolls are so creepy.”

“Relax, we'll be through soon.” Pepper assured as they continued to draw nearer as the long nose of the Pinocchio marionette came into view, shadowed by the light of their cellphones. As Pepper readjusted his phone in his grip, a flare brightly flashed across the glass casing and the entire doll was blocked from sight momentarily.

“Ugh,” Apis gagged, “What is that smell?!”

“I don't know.” Pepper grunted, pulling his sleeve over his hand to cover his nose with it, “Maybe the janitor missed cleaning something up over the weekend.”

“Well, whatever it is, it reeks.” Apis muttered into her hand, the smell continuing to get strong the closer they got to the case, “It's ghastly.”

“Let's just get through and the janitor will get it in the morning.” Pepper urged as the rank odor was becoming almost sour on his tongue, “God, it's like something died.”

“What's that on the floor?” Apis questioned swiftly, stopping dead in her tracks as her grip tightened to near painful levels and began shaking.

“Wha-”

“That looks like blood.” Apis choked out the words hollowly with wide eyes as her shaking hand pointed to the floor at the base of the case, “Pepper that is blood.”

Pepper glanced down quickly to where she was pointing, noting the large pools of garnet liquid oozing out from the base of the case. Swallowing thickly, Pepper was visibly frightened but inched forward regardless, avoiding the pools of blood as he got closer to the case to peek inside. Standing stock still for a moment as he found himself on eye level with the old, eerie doll watching in horror as more blood continued to leach from the cracks and crevasses in the wooden toy's body.

Blood running cold and body freezing to the spot, Pepper watched as a bead of blood oozed out and form in the corner of one of the soulless marble eyes before trickling down the face; sliding past the long nose to seep into the one of the cracks of the teeth on the dementedly smiling wooden puppet.

“Holy fuck.” Pepper breathed quietly as his movement came back to him with adrenaline filled intensity. Jumping back, he took off running through the museum with Apis on his heels, neither screaming as fear stifled them mute. The only sounds to be heard were the clattering off their footsteps as they ran through the cavernous building and out the front door.

Apis crumpled to her knees on the steps as Pepper whirled around and slammed the door shut, fumbling with his keys and trying to insert the right one into the lock. Hands shaking vigorously it took several tries before the dead latch clicked with a resounding echo and Pepper didn't even bother to remove his keys before crumpling to the ground as his knees gave out.

Tears were visibly falling down Apis' face, shoulders shaking as Pepper tried to get his terror struck body to respond. The taste of bile was sour in the back of his throat and each breath rattled his frame like a sheet caught in a heavy wind. It took several moments to pull himself together before he finally got the nerve to crawl across the pavement to where Apis sat crying. 

“D-do y-you think that w-was funny?!” She rounded on him angrily, tears flying off her cheeks as she looked more enraged than scared at the moment, “You absolute asshole!”

“N-no, I didn't!” Pepper pleaded quietly, still far too frightened to properly defend himself, he reached out a desperate had that he for sure thought would get slapped aside, but Apis let him rest it comfortingly on her shoulder as she broke down again.

“What the fuck was that?” Apis sobbed quietly, “What the hell?”

“I – I think,” Pepper stuttered quietly, voice catching, “What if there's-”

“Oh God, oh God.” Apis rasped shakily, mind clearly wandering down the dark trail that his mind had already went, “Pepper! We have to get somebody! Call the cops!”

“Ah-alright.” Pepper nodded numbly, hands fumbling with his phone – nearly dropping it twice – before finally righting it and turning it one. Shaking thumbs tapping through his apps until he was finally able to locate the phone and punch in 911 messily. Keeping terrified eyes looked onto Apis' as he raised the phone to his ear and listened to the shrill ringing.

~X~

Sanji awoke to the soft early morning light streaming through his bedroom window, and it took several moments before his memories from last night came flooding back to him. He could hardly stop the slight flush that ran up his cheeks at the thought of what they had done. Some of it was still so stark in his mind – the course sensation of fabric on the back of his thighs as Zoro grinded against him, the smooth warmth of the man's arm cradling him securely, the plush softness of the bed covers under his knees and cheek as he had been fucked into euphoria.

It was with an embarrassed grunt that he found himself already getting aroused by the memories, but also guilty at the notion that, past Zoro finally allowing him to reach completion, he had no viable recollection of the rest of the night. After the cock ring had been removed he had come ‘till the point he had passed out. Shame struck him at the thought of not knowing if Zoro had managed to reach his own climax or not. His next memory had been him half asleep in bed with the man as he applied something to Sanji's back to ease the pain of the flail.

Shifting slightly from his position on his front he noted that the salve was still present on his back, but most of it had been absorbed during his sleep and had just left his skin with a very slimy texture. Easing himself onto his side, he gazed quietly at the sleeping man next to him, rested mind able to appreciate him so much better than he had last night.

Zoro was breathtaking. His typically somewhat stern and even stressed face was dramatically more relaxed giving him a much younger and fuller look. His normally sharp jaw was rounded and appeared far friendlier, and his strong cheek bones seemed to smooth out entirely. The lines of his neck and shoulders lost so much tension as his whole body fully relaxed for the first time Sanji could ever recall. It made him wonder how much stress and fatigue the man underwent throughout his job.

Green hair tousled adorably from his sleep was largely more hectic than its usually styled look and his earrings shone tantalizingly in the morning sun. Eyebrows were no longer tensed in a frown or drawn together in concentration, instead they were relaxed, making the line of the man's forehead smooth and making him look extraordinarily younger. Short, thin eyelashes dusted his cheeks and as the eyelids hiding those hypnotically beautiful eyes remained closed, only fluttering slightly from the early light nearing his face.

Part of Sanji was in awe that such a gorgeous man was currently sharing his bed, and the other part was grinning cockily at the fact that Zoro was exclusively his by some miraculous turn of fate. If this became a regular thing Sanji would have absolutely no complaints, oddly pacified by being able to watch the older man sleep. Being able to see this other side to the man that probably so few people had the luxury to view, it was a testament to the trust already growing between them.

Sanji's shifting must have alerted Zoro in some way because the man began waking up and Sanji watch fondly as he went through the various stages of coming to consciousness. First was the crinkling of his eyebrows as they drew together lightly before his nose scrunched as though about to sneeze. Sanji watched with a tinge of sadness as some of the tenseness returned to the man's shoulders before the next moment when Zoro's face smoothed out and his eyes slid open lethargically as he noted Sanji in front of him.

With eyes still half lidded a large, dopey, lopsided grin graced Zoro's face before a yawn had him turning his head to the side and his arm stretching up. That grin alone had something tugging painfully in Sanji's chest as he knew that that smile was definitely going to be his undoing, especially if the man kept doing it while half asleep in Sanji's bed. Once done stretching, Zoro flopped back into his pillow, alert eyes finding Sanji's as he smiled softly.

Sanji returned the smile, suddenly feeling awkward as he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say – especially after such an amazing night – everything in his head sounded either stupid or ridiculously cliché, so he settled for a simple, “Thank you.”

The smile turned fond as Zoro pushed himself up to prop himself on an elbow, “For what?”

“Ugh.” Sanji groaned in barely concealed embarrassment, flopping his head down into his pillow as he tried to refrain from blushing any worse than he already was. For Christ's sake the man had had his fingers in his ass only a few hours earlier and had made him have the best orgasm of his life. Sanji really shouldn't have any problems looking this man in the eye anymore, let alone discuss their activities.

Rolling his head to the side so he could eye Zoro he murmured, “Everything? The mind blowing sex? Taking care of me after? Being so fucking awesome?”

Zoro chuckled at that, his voice rumbling deep and his eyes still half lidded from the morning fatigue clearly still affecting him. One hand came up to gently stroke at Sanji's cheek he gushed softly, “I should be the one thanking you for letting me.”

Sanji refrained from kicking the man under the covers for turning around his gratitude and giving a better compliment – despite how much he wanted to – and instead just threw the man an unimpressed raised eyebrow, “Seriously? With the outdoing me shtick?”

Zoro just chuckled and let his hand drop, eyes glinting playfully, “I like how much it bothers you.”

“I've noticed.” Sanji uttered dryly as he settled his cheek back into his pillow but keeping his gaze on the infuriating man beside him, “Good thing I know how to rile you up.”

“That you do you.” Zoro mused softly, eyes drifting down the length of Sanji's body before casting a glance around the bed room that he probably hadn't gotten a very good look at last night due to them both being preoccupied. That had Sanji's thoughts derailing as he once more began thinking about everything they had done, and ultimately the surge of uncertainty that had been bothering him earlier.

“Did you um...” Sanji trailed off with an embarrassed hum, eyes purposefully not meeting Zoro's gaze as he floundered, “I mean was it uh...”

A silence stretched between them for a long moment before Zoro seemed to catch on to what Sanji was implying, and the man looked almost hurt in the shock that flashed across his face. It was soon replaced with a heated look as the man reached out to pull Sanji close as he placed a reverent kiss behind Sanji's ear.

“Trust me, Sanji.” Zoro murmured thickly, “I got just as much out of it as you did.”

“Unlikely,” Sanji scoffed absently, trying to play off his insecurity as disinterest, “I passed out.”

“We experience pleasure in different ways,” Zoro shrugged gently, not at all deterred by Sanji's childish avoidance, as he continued to let his hands wander soothingly, head dipping down to nuzzling his nose against the line of Sanji's throat, “Having you like that I-”

Zoro's words cut off as a ragged, hardly muffled moan rumbled deep in the man's chest as he pressed a hot open mouth kiss to Sanji's shoulder. Sanji was shocked despite the spike of arousal that hit him in the gut from the man's pleading groan. He had known that Zoro got off on dominating people, but he really had no idea that it was that intense for the other guy. Well, he knew, but knowing and verbal affirmation were two entirely separate things.

“Well, good.” Sanji grunted happily, rolling up onto his side so it was easier for him touch the other man in return, “’Cause I intended to make you have me like that a lot more. Definitely more.”

A small chuckle had Zoro's shoulders shaking before his lips found Sanji's and he was clearly trying to remind Sanji of everything that had taken place last night that had involved those lips and teeth. It had Sanji arching readily into Zoro's body despite awkwardly trying to keep his back from touching the sheets. Zoro seemed to get the hint and kept a firm grip on his hip to keep from pressing Sanji back and getting the salve everywhere.

Minutes passed as Zoro seemed intent on wrecking Sanji with his mouth alone, slow languorous kisses melting into playful nips and sucks at his neck before moving back to suck on Sanji's tongue with fervor. It was borderline foreplay, but Zoro seemed able to keep it just within the realm of early morning reverence. A slightly frustrated moan slipped past Sanji's lips as he was unable to move due to the grip Zoro had on his hip.

When Sanji attempted to roll his hips to get the hint across to the other man, he was met with resistance and a somewhat taunting chuckle against his lips as the man only tightened his grip further. Thumb tracing the curve of his hip slowly before pressing into the curve sharply, a numb tang of pain shot through Sanji and his groan was stifled by Zoro deepening the kiss. It took a moment to realize Zoro was pressing into a bruise that he had no doubt left with those exact same fingers the other night.

Zoro's marks on his body. It was indescribably hot and had his arms wrapping around Zoro's neck as his hands tugged insistently on the man's hair;though it still gained no further reaction from the Dom other than his thumb once more gently prodding at the bruises on Sanji's hip. The gentleness of his motions had Sanji frowning before it then idly occurred to Sanji that this was probably all still part of the man's after care.

Assessing bruises, kissing and coddling him, making sure he tended to his back and not rub his injuries into the bed sheets with an impromptu make out session. It was oddly touching how seriously Zoro took this, despite him getting Sanji all riled up and not wanting to continue it. He supposed though that Zoro knew what he was doing and reluctantly gave in.

“Mm.” Sanji hummed happily against Zoro's lips, deciding on an alternative route to potentially getting the man to put his hands all over him, “I don't want to get everything covered in this ointment. Maybe we should continue this in the shower?”

Zoro seemed to like the idea, judging by the way he inhaled sharply and his grip tightened minutely. Face remaining nuzzled in Sanji's neck he seemed to be debating the idea before pulling away completely. Sanji refrained from making a displeased whine at the loss of his hands.

“No, you're right.” Zoro conceded as he released Sanji, albeit grudgingly, “It's about time to get ready for work anyway.”

“Showering together is the most logical.” Sanji prodded hopefully, “Saves water and conserves time.”

Zoro gently grasped Sanji's chin in a small grip, thumb rubbing at the stubble present as his lidded eyes were watching Sanji's lips with an abnormal intensity. Humming thoughtfully he seemed to honestly be debating it before releasing his hold and moving away with a humored smile, “I don't think so.”

“What?!” Sanji squawked indignantly, the answer was the exact opposite of what he had been expecting from Zoro's playfulness of the previous few minutes.

“I promised, you weren't going to get your hands on my dick that easily and I'm sticking to that.” Zoro pushed himself up, sheets pooling in his lap and revealing the man's chiseled chest that Sanji had vaguely remembered being pressed against his back last night. Propped up on one hand the other man gazed down at Sanji as a soft expression warmed his features, “Not that you aren't seriously making me debate my decision.”

It was incredibly tempting to take Zoro up on that notion and see if he could fully break the man's resolve. But his mind drifted over everything that had happened to them so far, and the rising tension that Zoro seemed to like to build, and it made a quickie in the shower seem utterly contrary to whatever Zoro had in store.

“No...” Sanji finally admonished with a heavy sigh, “It'll be a lot more fun to see what you have planned rather than ruin the buildup. I signed up for this and I wanna see it through, regardless of how much I just want you in my shower.”

“How mature of you.” Zoro noted with a teasing grin, eyes sparkling playfully, “I was expecting more of a tantrum.”

“How old do you think I am?” Sanji scoffed.

“Perhaps a little feet stomping?”

Sanji just rolled his eyes and flopped back down onto his pillow heavily, shooing the man away with a limp wrist movement, “I’m far too tired for your banter, go bathe you heathen.”

Zoro cast Sanji a skeptical look, “Are you gonna try and sneak in?”

“I'm offended you would think so little of me.” Sanji admonished with a false gasp and a hand laid delicately across his forehead. 

Zoro didn't say anything, simply raised a single eyebrow and continued watching the blond critically.

“Jeez. There's a lock on the door, but I won't either way.” Sanji snapped before giving in and grinning, “I'm determined to do this your way. I'm not going to cheat. Besides I think I'm finally starting to feel everything from last night.”

That had Zoro chuckling, almost a little too smugly, as he pulled back the covers and pulled himself out of bed. Sanji noted with a pout that the man had slept with his boxers on, but supposed it was probably precaution on the man’s part. He watched lazily as Zoro bent to pick up his clothes off the floor that he had discarded last night, and shamelessly enjoyed the way the fabric pulled taut across the man's amazing ass.

Sanji was sorely tempted to make a comment, but refrained as he instead enjoyed the silent view of the man's rippling back as he finally made his way across the room and into the adjacent bathroom. A small smirk directed Sanji's way as though the man was aware of Sanji's ogling, before he shut the door quietly.

Zoro didn't lock the door and when Sanji heard the water start-up he was horribly tempted to break his word and sneak a quick peek. It wasn't even because he wanted to see the man's dick, it was mostly because he just wanted the satisfaction of seeing his boyfriend in his shower all suds up. 

Water cascading down his perfectly toned body, soap creating tantalizing trails over the mans rounded rear, his own hands running over his body innocently as he washed the evidence of last night from himself. Sanji spent the next few minutes imagining all the different ways he'd want to have Zoro while in the shower until his sex fogged mind finally noted that it was a little concerning that he was still so visibly aroused by the man even after being fucked unconscious the other night.

It wasn't long before Zoro was exiting the bathroom with a whoosh of hot steamy air gushing into the bedroom. The humidity and heat were calling to Sanji and he pushed himself up into a seated position with a grunt. Just the thought of a hot shower on his aching back was a fantasy in and of itself, not to mention cleaning himself properly after last night’s activities.

“Okay, all yours.” Zoro offered as he exited the bathroom, fully dressed though water still dripped innocently from his vibrant green air.

Rubbing a hand on his lower back as he realized he was beginning to feel a deep ache approaching before he cast an unabashed gaze at Zoro, “You or the shower?”

Zoro scoffed, eyes rolling exaggeratedly as made his way out of the bedroom, “I'll put on kettle, shall I?”

Sanji just watched the man leave with a playful grin before pulling back the covers carelessly and pushing himself out of bed, making for the bathroom. The room was still thick with humidity and the mirrors were all fogged over, but it was just as well. He was almost positive that if he could see his reflection it would not be a flattering image. If he looked anything like how he felt all he would see was a smugly wrecked man.

Turning on the spray to the proper temperature he immediately stepped in and relaxed against the wall with a throaty groan as the hot water pounded down on his sore back. He remained still for a few minutes, just letting the water work its magic on his aching muscles, before setting work cleaning the salve off his back and working some shampoo through his sweat riddled hair.

Not wanting to keep Zoro waiting too long, Sanji turned off the shower and hopped out, wrapping a towel around his waist as he snatched up another to run ruthlessly through his hair. Turning it around he brought the towel across his back gently, dabbing so as not to irritate the wounds. All in all the lashes didn't even feel that bad. They were definitely there, but were hardly painful enough to bother him.

Bringing the towel up to swipe across the mirror he revealed his own expression and found he wasn't nearly as wrecked as he expected himself to be. Lips perhaps a little chapped and a few fading bite marks here and there – not to mentioned the bruise marks on his hips that mirrored Zoro's fingertips perfectly – all in all he just looked like a man that had gotten laid.

Turning and peering over his shoulder he inspected the damaged on his back, which even then wasn't that bad and only served to remind Sanji of how good it had felt at the time. Sadi's marks had never looked this good the day after, always bloody and stiff as they he attempted to heal after the wicked lashing. Not that he hadn't thoroughly enjoyed it at the time, but Zoro's effective after care made the markings look days old.

The scattering of red marks were more prominent near his upper back, where Zoro had focused most of his attention, with a few sparse ones decorating lower back and butt. Reaching back and fingering one of the lashes on his lower back he noted how the skin was still a little over heated and inflamed, but otherwise felt fine. He would have to really thank Zoro for whatever was in that salve because it was working wonders.

After Sanji had finished up in the bathroom, he quickly threw on some clothes and made sure the bed was at least partially made. Casting a cursory gaze across his bedroom floor he finally spotted the black silk tail of the tie Zoro had given him, snatching it up and pulling it over his head with a satisfied grin. Smoothing out tie with smug caress before making is way out of his bedroom.

As he entered the kitchen he found Zoro watching the television with a creased brow, lips pursed and drawn down in clear distress. The mug of coffee in his hand was clearly forgotten and he squeezed the handle with a white knuckled grip. It didn't take much of a genius nowadays to know that anything on the television would likely be related to the kidnappings and murders.

Grabbing a mug from his cupboard and filling it with the coffee Zoro had prepared, he couldn't help but smile fondly at the fact that Zoro had gotten comfortable in Sanji's kitchen and had found everything he had needed. Adding the right amount of sugar and cream he eventually made his way to the counter that faced the television, taking a cautionary sip before asking, “What is it?”

Glancing over at the television, now halfway through a broadcast about a gorgeous woman whom apparently had gone missing, Sanji savored the hot, bitter tang of the coffee Zoro had prepared. The photo on screen did the woman a fair amount of justice; her long ebony hair trailing over her shoulders as she gazed at the camera with deep, calculating brown eyes. Despite her beauty however, there was an air of age and wisdom to her.

“They think it's connected to the other recent disappearances.” Zoro explained quietly, eyes once more darting towards the television with a morose look, “She got taken from her office at the University last night.”

“How old is she?” Sanji frowned purposefully turning away from the television, not wanting the terrible news to put a damper on his good morning quite yet.

“Thirty.” Zoro replied in a clipped tone, finally lowering his mug to the counter as he glared down at the liquid sloshing inside.

“That's not exactly the kidnapper’s m.o. though.” Sanji offered quietly, more to himself than anything, “All the other victims were kids. Why the sudden age gap?”

Zoro shrugged, still looking far too disgruntled by the news, “That's why the police said they weren't ready to say that this was related to the kidnappings, since it's the first disappearance that doesn't follow the pattern.”

“Who else could it be though?” Sanji mused quietly, eyes shifting back to the television for a moment. Once again the chief of police was being interrogated about the disappearance and he seemed much less composed than last time. It had only been a few days but already the stress was showing on the man's face; the dark rings under his eyes, the messy stubble poking out on his chin and cheeks, hair a mess. Even his tie was done up at an angle.

“Someone wanting to blame their own murder on the disappearances?” Zoro offered.

“Maybe...” Sanji agreed quietly pulling his eyes away from the haggard chief of police and snatching up the remote. Turning off the television with finality as Zoro gifted him with a raised brow while taking a quiet sip of his beverage. As Sanji set the remote aside he hardly missed the sharp flicker of Zoro's eyes as they lowered to appraised the tie hanging around Sanji's neck.

“I want to enjoy my morning with you.” Sanji explained as he tried to force the image of the poor woman's face to the back to his mind as he attempted to focus more on that flash of interest that had broken through Zoro's facade, “I don't need what happened last night between us ruined by something sad on the news.”

“Alright.” Zoro agreed quietly, a small smile gracing his lips as he watched Sanji fondly, “No use worrying over something we can't control.”

“I'm sure they'll catch the person responsible.” Sanji nodded before taking a sip of his quickly cooling coffee, scowling when he noted a slight quiver to his hand. “Just a little nerve wracking is all, I mean if the person isn't going after children any more than that means everyone is at risk now and I-”

“C'mere.” Zoro grunted fondly, hand winding around Sanji's waist as he hauled the blond over into his lap as he took a seat on one of the kitchen chairs. Sanji let himself fall easily, swinging his legs around to pose more comfortably on the man's thigh as he steadied his mug before taking a sip, glad Zoro cut off his stupid rambling.

They sat in silence for a long time, each finishing their coffee as Zoro's hand continued to rubbing soothingly at Sanji's hip. Thumb hooking under the shirt to stroke the skin on Sanji's torso idly before the man coughed quietly and started timidly, “Look...”

“Hmm?” Sanji grunted to let the man know he was listening, a little peeved that the newscast had to ruin his perfectly good morning.

“The disappearances have only taken place at night, right?” Zoro continued softly, “And I mean, I don't want to be intrusive or anything but if you want I can-”

“Are you offering to check under my bed for monsters?” Sanji retorted with a slowly growing grin, “Make sure there's no boogie man in my closet?”

“Well, when you put it like that no.” Zoro grunted, nose scrunching up in offense to Sanji's teasing.

The adorable look had Sanji breaking out into chuckles as he cradled his coffee carefully in two hands, when his laughter finally died down he contemplated his cup for a moment before responding, “I'm honestly not scared of the murderer.”

“Then why--?”

“I don't know.” Sanji shrugged minutely, “I think I'm more frightened of losing someone I know. You see a stranger being roped up as a scarecrow and it makes you sad, but if it is someone you know it just makes it a million times worse.”

Zoro nodded quietly, taking a small sip from his coffee before setting it down and letting his free hand pull Sanji in closer and place a reassuring kiss to the blond's temple. It was an odd action, but left Sanji feeling strangely content afterwards. Setting his own cup aside he threw an arm around Zoro's shoulders as he leaned a bit more heavily into the man.

“So...” Zoro hummed after a while, “That's a no to having me sleep over here then?”

“Why?” Sanji smirked, “Need me to check under your bed?”

“Maybe.” Zoro cracked a cheeky grin at the blond, arms tightening in a punishing hold before relaxing, but only slightly. Which caused Sanji to grind the top of his head into Zoro's jaw in retaliation, it eventually escalated to petty hits, pinches, and biting that was downright dirty.

“I wouldn't entirely be opposed to it you know...” Sanji offered through a wheeze once their struggles eventually died down, “If you did want to stay over more often; it's nice. And not just the sex.”

Zoro chuckled, “Alright with me.”

“Good.” Sanji nodded affirmatively, turning in the man's hold to press victorious kiss to his lips, partially to seal the deal, but also just because now he could. After a month of waiting – a several months celibacy before hand – it was just enjoyable to bask in another person's presence.

“How's your back?” Zoro murmured thoughtfully against Sanji's lips, hands hovering over the skin but not actually touching the currently branded flesh. Though the question seemed moot considering the strain he had just put on it while trying to kick the man off his chair.

“Mmm.” Sanji hummed happily, “Fantastic.”

“I meant now.” Zoro snorted lightly as he pulled back and assessed the blond with a look of incredulity, “Not last night.”

“Still fantastic.” Sanji assured, “That salve worked wonders.”

“It's just Arnica cream.” Zoro shrugged, “It's an anti-inflammatory. The key is to tend to the wounds as soon as possible.”

“Well, either way,” Sanji crooned playfully, turning in Zoro's arms to press a teasing kiss to Zoro's throat, hands sneaking around to slip under the man's shirt and enjoying the hot flesh that he had been so deprived of the night before while being cuffed, “I feel awesome.”

“Good. Now,” Zoro stated with finality as he removed his hands completely from Sanji, “We need to get to work. Up.”

Sanji deflated from his position in Zoro's lap, completely put off by Zoro's teasing games and need to constantly shut Sanji down just as he was beginning to get warmed up. It almost seemed like Zoro was purposefully waiting for Sanji to make a move before rejecting his advances. Knowing the man that was probably his exact intention.

“C'mon.” Zoro prodded with a small grin, lifting Sanji's chin with his index finger and thumbed the blond's pouting lip, “I'll buy you breakfast on our way to work.”

Sanji held the pout for a moment longer before giving in and smirking fondly, “Wow, you really are gonna spoil me.”

~X~

Sitting across from Zoro in this quaint cafe, the early morning sun starting to highlight the city as they nibbled at the pastries Zoro had bought for them, Sanji began to realize what a truly good thing he had going. Beyond the amazing sex – though it was duly noted – what they currently had was becoming something much more.

Waking up together and just being able to lay in the sun kissed sheets before getting up for the day was something Sanji hadn't done in a while, and yet he had been able to do it with Zoro like he had been doing it for years. The way they had delegated showers and then been able to flirt casually in the kitchen over a cup of coffee, having himself drawn into Zoro's lap like it was a regular occurrence, it was all effortless.

What had started off as a pathetic attempt at an online dating site had evolved into a relationship that he had hardly expected ever happening and he was just beginning to realize how amazing it had become. This was something he could see going on for months, even years possibly. He was realizing what a spectacular thing he had going and was suddenly aware how much he didn't want to lose that.

It also made him realize with shocking clarity that this made him not want to risk anything else that might jeopardize this amazing relationship - and that included scamming.

He'd had relationships before but never any so serious that he had considered giving up his main source of income to protect both that person and the connection they shared. Yet here he sat in a small cafe across from a man he had only met a month ago and realizing that he was easily ready to sacrifice his entire lifestyle just to make sure he wouldn't lose this.

Sitting quietly in shock, apple strudel hanging idly from his fingers, he watched Zoro as the intensity of the situation fully washed over him, even as the other man remained completely unaware of the small panic attack Sanji was experiencing. Just as the blond was debating pocketing the rest of his breakfast due to a faded appetite Zoro lifted his head from the paper he had propped open on the table in front of him.

Dark eyes twinkling almost amber in the sunlight that was slanting across his face, he gifted Sanji with the most innocent of grins. White teeth flashing before his eyes flicked back down to the paper as he absently took a sip of his coffee and continued about completely unperturbed.

And just like that Sanji's previous nervousness was gone, all indecision wiped clear off the table as he realized that this man was entirely worth it. Whatever he had to do to keep that smile and those eyes in his life he would do without question. Sanji decided with heavy finality as he picked up his own coffee to take a small sip, that he was never going to commit another scam again.

~X~

Sanji gave Zoro a wave and a quick smile as the man dropped him off outside the front entrance of the mall, closing the door before watching the man leave for work in his slick car. It made Sanji contemplate the notion of purchasing a vehicle for a more convenient way to work, before reminding himself that mall parking and rush hour were two things he never personally wanted to be involved in.

Pausing outside the doors he wondered if he had time for a quick smoke, but he was already running late due to his breakfast date with Zoro. Heaving a sigh and resigning himself to wait for lunch before grabbing a quick smoke, he ducked inside, making his way through the throngs of people already eagerly shopping in the early morning. He eventually found himself at his work, divesting himself of his hoodie in the back room before pulling on his blue Genius shirt and grabbing his radio and name tag from his cubbie. While working to pull on the headset so he could talk to the other staff on duty Ace rounded the corner with an Orange Julius in hand, slurping on it obnoxiously as he eyed the blond.

“Well, someone's looking chipper.” Ace teased before taking another long pull from his frozen fruit concoction as he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Sanji chuckled, finally finishing with the headset as he turned to his manager, “Is it that obvious?”

“Naw,” Ace waved a hand as he drawled sarcastically, “You come into work every day with a hickey the size of a downtown Seattle on your neck.”

“Shit.” Sanji clamped a hand over the mark swiftly, “I totally forgot it was there.”

“Mhm.” Ace hummed in disbelief, “I'm sure you did, you sly dog.”

“Oh shut it.” Sanji bemoaned quietly as he cast a look around the staff room desperately, he absolutely was not allowed out on the floor with something so unprofessional branded across his neck. Ace really didn't care but if any of the other managers came by he could get in deep shit, “Is Marie in today?”

“Nope.” Ace grinned, obviously enjoying Sanji's struggle before relenting, “But just run over to Maybelline; I know for a fact Baby is working today.”

Sanji turned a shrewd look towards the man, “You hit that?”

“It was an amazing weekend for both of us.” Ace simpered with a shrug, tonguing his straw in a bored manner before heading towards the floor. “Get back in time to open. Though it's Monday so I doubt there will be many people.”

“Back in a moment.” Sanji called as he scuttled out of the back and jogged lightly across the large expanse of the hall to the makeup store only a few stalls down. Their shop was just opening up as well, and luckily no one was shopping at the moment so he was able to run right to the back counter where Baby was stocking a case full of a new delivery of powders and creams.

She turned as Sanji approached, big brown eyes bordered adorably by thick rimmed eyeliner, and looked as impeccable as always with her auburn hair done up in messy bun. It was easy to see why Ace had fallen for the girl, she was gorgeous, not to mention with a fairly weak side when it came to helping people out.

“Ooh, cutie in need of my assistance.” Baby crooned playfully, “What can I do you for, Sanji sweetie?”

“Uh,” Sanji faltered for a moment before waving a hand at his neck, “Ace said you could help me out?”

“Ah.” Baby nodded with a grin before shooting him a wink and turned towards one of the cases as she began digging through it for a few bottles, “Same problem as Ace, huh?”

“Same problem?” Sanji raised a brow as Baby turned back to him, depositing the bottles on the counter and snatching up Sanji's wrist. Holding up different bottles to his skin, she seemed to be trying to match his skin tone.

“Oh yeah,” Baby intoned with a casual hum, “I needed to cover up his neck this morning too.”

Sanji's jaw dropped as he sent a scandalous look over his shoulder through the glass windows of the shop and across the hall where he could see the Apple store. Ace was leaning against the counter watching Sanji and sent him a cheery wave which Sanji returned with a scowl and proffered middle finger. It only prompted hysterical laughter from the man as he turned away to ring someone through on the till.

Baby watched the exchange with a smile as she poured a dapple of cream on Sanji's wrist and rubbed it in to test how well it blended against his skin, “I take it he didn't tell you?”

“No, the shitty liar.” Sanji pouted, moving forward as Baby motioned for him to come closer. Once within reach she put more of the cover up on her finger and began working into the skin on Sanji's neck idly. Sanji stopped talking as he let her work undisturbed.

“Well, he's not nearly as high and mighty as he thinks.” Baby mused as she leaned back to survey her work, nodding in a satisfactory smile as she replaced the lid on the jar, “I have some incriminating photos of him in some of my makeup.”

“Oh?” Sanji cocked a brow in interest, not one to pass up blackmail opportunity, “Do tell.”

“What?” Baby shrugged with a laugh, using her pinky that was free of cover up to tuck a few stray strands of her bangs behind her ear, “Every girl has convinced her boyfriend at one point or another to try on their makeup.”

“You do know I will not let him live this down.” Sanji informed her with a sly smile, glancing in one of the mirrors on the counter for shoppers to inspect themselves in. He was amazed at how easily that little bit of cream had managed to cover up all the evidence of the hickey that had previously been so prominent on his neck.

“Oh by all means.” Baby waved him off with a grin, “It's fun watching the boy squirm. Plus, the angry sex is always a delicious bonus.”

“I'll make sure to get him extra pissy just for you.” Sanji promised as he turned to leave, giving the girl a small bow, “Thank you again for the uh... well, the help.”

“Don't mention it.” Baby grinned happily as she began putting the jars away, “I got your back.”

“Well, hopefully there won't be a next time.” Sanji muttered, though the conviction in his tone wasn't entirely convincing as he would totally be up for reliving the experience. 

“Well, if there is a next time,” Baby called out as Sanji was leaving the store, “Tell Ace it was your curling iron.”

“Will do,” Sanji chuckled, “Thank you, Baby.”

“Take care, Sanji-pie!”

Sanji jogged across the hall and back into the other shop, finding Ace exactly where he had left him, leaning against the counter with a sly grin and fox like eyes watching the blond gleefully. As he neared Ace's eyes dropped to Sanji's neck to inspect the work.

“Not bad.” Ace nodded simply as he eyed up Sanji's neck cheekily, “You should where makeup more often.”

“Oh fuck off, Freckles.” Sanji spat sourly, “Baby told me all about your hickeys, not to mention the time she put makeup on you and you let her.”

Ace looked scandalized, “She said she wouldn't tell!”

“What can I say?” Sanji lifted a hand airily, “The ladies love me.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Ace scowled, clearly in a bad mood now that Sanji had gotten the better of him, “Now go help that woman in the corner with the iPads; go use your wiles on her.”

Sanji chuckled at his boss' sour mood but complied and it wasn't long before the morning had flown by.. A few customers came in to pick up cleaning or repair jobs and Sanji had had to stop and remind himself that he was no longer scamming the customers about what he had found on their electronics, despite how desperately he wanted to.

“So did you see the news report?” Ace intoned later once the noon rush had died down, pulling his break coffee out from under the till and taking a swig, “Pretty messed up, huh?”

“Yeah,” Sanji mumbled quietly, leaning his hip up against the counter to take some weight off of his feet, “That poor woman.”

“What woma--? Oh.” Ace shook his head, “Yeah, no there was another one around ten. They found the body of one of the kids.”

“What?!” Sanji's head snapped up to look at the brunette in disbelief. It was already a tragedy that that woman had gone missing, but to have one of the children wind up dead as well was downright terrible. All hope the parents might have held that their child could've gotten home safely was now gone. “Who?”

“They don't know yet.” At Sanji's horrified expression Ace hushed, “Yeah, it was pretty gruesome. Like they showed some footage of where the body was, but they didn't show when they actually removed the body. Parents don't want the footage aired either.”

“Well,” Sanji intoned urgently, “What happened?!”

“Seattle Museum, some kids found it last night.” Ace explained, “Blood and gunk oozing out onto the floor under this display case, and you'll never guess what was in it.”

Sanji shrugged his shoulders lightly and shook his head, motioning that he wasn't about to play a guessing game over something this serious. It was a little odd how Ace seemed a little excited over giving the news of the poor kid’s grave site.

“It was a creepy assed old doll. Like Pinocchio or something,” Ace waved his hands exaggeratedly as he tried to describe the doll, “and the kid was all cut up and shoved inside it.”

Sanji desperately wanted to call the man's bluff, but after seeing the report on that poor Luffy boy that had been transformed into a scarecrow, it wasn't hard to believe that whomever was behind these murders seemed to have a need to display their work in the most gruesome way possible. Though how someone could even stomach to do something like this in the first place made Sanji wonder just how sane this serial killer was.

“How did no one notice?” Sanji muttered quietly, not sure whether he was asking Ace or himself, “Surely there were cameras?”

“The police are just as baffled,” Ace shrugged, “The museum was closed for the weekend so they think the guy snuck in and put the body in the doll then.”

Sanji nodded quietly as he mulled over the words, clearly whoever had managed to get in there and had spent some time getting the body within the doll; which also means the person must've have managed to disarm the security camera at some point. Whoever this was, they were very clever.

“You think it's a guy?” Sanji frowned, as he finally clued in to Ace's words.

“Well yeah?” Ace shrugged, “I mean I guess it could be a chick, but... I dunno. I guess I was just saying guy in the broad sense of the term; ya know like 'dude'.”

“Sure.” Sanji nodded absently, already tuning out the rambling brunette as he rested his elbows on the counter and clasped his hands, staring down at his finger idly as his mind continued to mull over everything he had just heard.

~X~

It had been a week since Sanji had silently decided to right his ways to keep what he had with Zoro as safe as possible, and while easy; the temptation had still be something awful. Though it hadn't taken much thought to simply call out some people on the things that they had been stupid enough to not delete. Some man had been sleeping with his best friend’s daughter if the texts were anything to go by; but he had graciously told the man to stop being an adulterous asshole of a friend and had refrained from extorting something profitable from his sleazy ass.

It had been damned tempting, but when he had seen Zoro that night it had made him feel ridiculously proud of himself and incidentally cocky enough to push the man into his bedroom and kiss him without his permission. That bit of behavior had landed him with his hands cuffed behind his back, a ball gag jammed between his teeth, and bent naked over the man's knee as a paddle got intimately familiar with his rear. It had been entirely worth it.

Sanji smiled dazedly as he stood on the bus on his way home as he thought about the past week. It hadn't all been violent and pain riddled – despite Sanji's very adamant claims that it was a-okay with him – half the time Zoro was simply just interest in touching Sanji. The blond was almost positive that the man had a very large voyeurism kink, not to mention he was extremely fond of keeping Sanji from coming for an unholy amount of time.

Last Wednesday night for example, Zoro had just had had Sanji sit in his lap – no cuffs or anything – while he had three fingers buried in Sanji's ass with his gaze never once shifting from Sanji's face. Just leaning back and watching Sanji's expression with rapt attention the entire time – from the moment he had first started opening him up till the moment Sanji had been forced to bury his head in the crook of the man's shoulder to steady himself through his near painful orgasm.

Regardless, the past week had been amazing. Between the sex and the few dates they had managed to squeeze in between their work schedules. It was all a testament to the fact that Sanji had definitely made the right choice by giving up on all his illicit activities in exchange for Zoro's presence.

Although despite Sanji's current good mood, the entire city was now on edge. After the body in the marionette had been confirmed to be the young Usopp Snipe, everyone was now on edge over when the body of the young girl or other boy would be found. A week had gone by with not so much as a peep from the serial killer; not a disappearance or a trace of his presence. The police were as frustrated as ever, not to mention under constant scrutiny from the families for their lack of success in the case.

Sanji leaned heavily as the bus took a sharp turn, far more exhausted after his day than he had been expecting, though he had a feeling it partly had something to do with the strenuous activities he had done the other night. Hand clinging to the stabilizer strap as the bus took a sharp turn and he was forced to lean with the force of it. Someone was shoving up behind him, as well as a person nearly straddling his thigh, but he was still able to feel the vibration of his phone in his pocket.

Awkwardly working his hand into his jean pocket he opened the screen, breath hitching his throat as he saw the simple text that was flashed across his screen;

Zoro's home address.

TBC...


	10. Dr. Roronoa

The eggs sizzled quietly in the cast iron pan as Sanji absently shoved them around with the black spatula, the rubber tip bent and melted from years of use. Early morning light shone through the window as Sanji tried to shake the hovering dissonance that had been following him since he had woken up with a jerk an hour before after having had a night terror. Even the long shower he had taken had been futile in washing away the vivid imagery.

It had been a long time since he had had a true nightmare. One that caused him to wake in a cold sweat, hands shaking, and breath stuttering. It had happened to him a lot as a kid after his father had died, and they had gotten progressively worse after being stuck in several less than ideal foster homes. A couple years of therapy and some proper sleep medication had eventually resolved the problem, and it had been at least several years since he had woken up so terrified.

He vividly remembered the moment when the face of the poor young boy that had been nailed to the stake had flashed in his mind. Warped and twisted from the young youthful face that he had seen across so many news broadcasts, papers, and information articles. It had only gotten worse as the terrified screams and cries from the boy had started as his mind had begun supplying him with horrifying gruesome scenarios.

Young boy strapped down and being flayed alive, struggling with his captor, screaming for help before being knocked unconscious. The sound of something sharp being tapped idly against metal before a heavy grunt was followed by the harsh thud of something hitting the ground. Over and over these sounds rattled through Sanji's head while he had fought desperately in the darkness to locate the sounds, to try and rescue the child.

But each time he was too late. Never able to escape the suffocating darkness in time to find the source of the torture, each time he thought it was over it would start anew. Eventually the screams became too much and he had jolted painfully awake in his bed covered in sweat, his throat parched and his muscles tender from the stressful sleep.

Scooping up the eggs from the pan and plopping them down on a plate he tried not to think about the nightmare anymore. He had thought that he wasn't susceptible to these vivid nightmares anymore, but at the same time wasn't entirely shocked that the stress of all the disappearances hadn't gotten to him sooner. Though he knew from experience the best thing he could do was no dwell on them; focus on the day ahead and try to forget the images.

Leaning back against the counter he shoveled a forkful of eggs into his mouth and chewed absently on the creamy yolks as he tried to think about later on that day. By all rights he should be happy. He was going over to Zoro's tonight for the first time. After texting Zoro last night on the bus they had planned to have dinner at his place and who knew what would happen after that.

If the small selection of toys he had brought over the past week was anything to go by, it was quiet promising that they man probably had a massive collection of toys and bondage gear at his house. That thought alone had a giddy swell of excitement rising in his chest at the prospect of all the possibilities in store for him. Shaking off the last vestiges of his unnerved state he focused solely on imagining what Zoro might have in store for him.

Everything that had been in the booklet and on the contract was a possibility and that made the scenarios endless. Just picturing all the restraining devices and possible disciplinary items that Zoro probably owned and could use on him were getting him far too wound up so early in the morning. Though, it didn't stop him from continuing to wonder if the man owned a sex swing, or a Cross for that matter. The Dom had talked a lot about all the things in the booklet, but how many of them was he able to procure?

His perverted and undoubtedly exaggerated thoughts ran away with him as he finished breakfast, only being drawn from his dirty musings by his phone buzzing with a text. Tossing his plate into the sink he snatched up his phone to note a text from Zoro;

Client canceled. I'll be done at 5. Come by as soon as you're finished work.

Lumbering into his bedroom he quickly responded,

Alright, I'll be done by 7. Anything I need to bring?

As he waited for a reply he quickly dressed and pulled on his black work slacks, digging through his closet before finally locating his favorite blue hoodie.

My things I left there. And a change of clothes for tomorrow?

Kk.

Throwing a change of clothes into his pack, he also rounded up the shirt Zoro had left the other day and a few of his toys, along with the dildo that the man had bought him. For having been opened for just one week the item had gotten a rather extraordinary amount of use. Not to mention the one morning Zoro had woken him up by turning it on to the highest setting after getting it inside him while he had still been asleep and loose from the night before.

At first it had been utterly mortifying, but within moments had easily become one of the top three mornings on Sanji's list to date. And that included the time Sadi woke him with his cock halfway down her throat.

Smirking at the memories he slung his pack over his shoulder as he made his way out of his apartment, locking the door absently behind him. Memories of his nightmares long forgotten as he practically skipped down the stairwell at the prospects of what was going to happen tonight.

~X~

Sanji was jittery.

Less a bundle of nervous ticks, and more just an impatient cacophony or questions and curiosity. Sure, there was a small part of him that was nervous over going to the man's house for the first time and seeing what a real Playroom was going to look like. But mostly he was just submerging himself in a litany of questions over what they were going to do after all the relationship formalities were dealt with.

What was Zoro's place going to be like? Did Zoro just want him over for dinner, or were they immediately going to jump into the sex? Were they simply going to go to his bedroom or did the man have a secret fuck room for more vicious play? Was Zoro expecting Sanji to step up his game and start larger and more intimidating toys? Was the punishment going to get more painful? Was Zoro planning on finally, actually fucking him?

Question after anxious question tumbled through Sanji's skull as he tried to convince himself it wasn't going to be nearly as intimidating and frightening as he was making himself believe.

“Excuse me, sir?”

Sanji jerked up swiftly, shaking off his personal issues as he noted the gorgeous young girl standing nervously at the till in front of him. Blond hair was done up into two adorable buns atop her head and she was clearly taking advantage of the spring weather in a short pink summer dress.

“Ah!” Sanji stammered, “Sorry, was totally day dreaming.”

“It's alright.” She giggled softly, hands twisting her phone nervously in her hands as she forged on, “Who can I talk to about exchanging my phone?”

“I can, absolutely.” Sanji assured, already pulling out his own phone so he could start taking her information and find her Apple account, “I totally work here; I just look like I don't.”

The girl tittered again, her laugh reminiscent of a chime fluttering in the wind and Sanji found himself more than eager to keep hearing it from the beautiful girl. As he began going through the set up on his phone he asked, “So, you want do the Apple Recycle program correct?”

“I think so.” She winced lightly, “My friends told me if I have an old iPhone I can bring it in and exchange it for money or something? I dunno.”

“Yeah, that's the Recycle Program we started last year.” Sanji explained happily, “I just have to check the phone over for damage and wear and depending on its condition I can give you credit. Most of the time the phone will be worth enough for a new phone, but you can simply keep the money and spend it on anything else in the store.”

“Oh wow.” She gushed as she looked down at her phone, “That's pretty cool. I think I'd just like to get the newest model though, if that's okay?”

“Of course.” Sanji grinned, “I just need your account info.”

It wasn't long before everything had been filled out and Sanji had taken her through all the long boring processes of Recycling her phone. Connis – as her named turned out to be – was definitely gentle with it as Sanji couldn't find a scratch on it and was pretty sure she had managed to keep her phone in better condition than he ever could. When he voiced as much she gifted him with that gorgeous laugh again and Sanji had to refrain from cooing over it.

After everything was run through, she had a new iPhone 6c box clasped in her hands excitedly, as well as a set of head phones and a case from the left over credit. As they waited for the receipt to print Connis thumbed the box nervously before bursting loudly, “Would you like the have coffee sometime?”

The words caught Sanji off guard and he stared at the girl stock still for a moment as the scenario properly registered for him just as the receipt finished printing with a pointed ding. Normally he would pounce at the opportunity of a drink with such a gorgeous girl, but instead he was shocked to find the bleakest of reactions inside of him.

The old him would gladly fall to one knee for a girl like this, take her out somewhere expensive and treat her like a princess, but now he was just faced with the stark reality that it would be an utter sham of a relationship. It was cruel to think it, but there was no way in hell that this delicate, fair girl could possibly give him what he wanted; emotionally or sexually. And just like so many other past failed relationships it would be unfair to ask of it.

Zoro was now such a positive, permanent fixture in his life that he couldn't even fathom another relationship or person that could live up to his expectations. As indignant as he should be, he couldn't help but fondly note that Zoro had probably ruined him for everyone else.

Connis seemed to take his awkward silence as rejection and blubber nervously, “Or you know, oh my gosh just forget I said anything. That was so stupid of m--”

“No!” Sanji blurted quickly, trying to figure how to apologize to the distraught girl, “No, you're gorgeous and I – any guy – would be lucky to have coffee with you. I just – um – I'm spoken for.”

Embarrassment was still flooding her cheeks, but she seemed a bit more relieved as she sigh softly, “Should've known.”

“Ah, yup.” Sanji chuckled awkwardly, still feeling bad for having to turn down such a sweet girl, “Sorry.”

“It's okay.” She brushed off with another laughed, talking her receipt from Sanji's slack grip and giving a short nod, “It was worth a shot. Thank you for your help today, Sanji.”

“You're welcome.” Sanji murmured softly, watching her leave somberly. Eyes catching at her thighs where the dress was riding up improperly high and he found that his normal reaction to such scandalously exposed skin was absent. Glancing down at his dick as though it were the culprit and not his warped psychology he grouched, “Really?”

“Talking to your dick and it's not even lunch.” Ace drawled as he made his way over, trademark Orange Julius slurpy poised between his lips, “Should I be concerned for you, or your boyfriend?”

“Zoro's ruined me.” Sanji bemoaned dramatically, slumping over on the counter and giving a pitiful whine.

“Isn't that a good thing?” Ace chuckled, “I thought that was the whole point of the dating site, to finally find someone.”

“I guess.” Sanji pouted into his arm with a childish frown before shooting up and gesticulating wildly towards the door where Connis had just left, “But she just asked me out and I felt nothing. Nada. Zilch.”

“She was very cute.” Ace agreed sagely, the loud slurping attesting to his thoughts.

“I know!” Sanji balked, dropping into a crouch behind the counter and scowling, “What the hell is wrong with me?”

“So wait.” Ace frowned as he glanced down at his co-worker crouched behind the work desk, “Are you angry at Zoro, or angry that you are just realizing how much you like him?”

“The second.”

“Aw,” Ace gushed, “How cute.”

“Your face is cute.” Sanji spat venomously.

“I know.” Ace implored with a tone of wonder, turning and striding back to his end of the counter, “I'm like a puppy.”

Sanji just grumbled irritably at his supervisor’s flippant behavior, but couldn't stop the grin that broke across his face as he thought about Zoro. Hiding his smile behind his arm he remained crouching for a few more minutes, reveling in his newest realization.

~X~

The end of the day could not come quick enough, between several screaming children and a nearly broken iPad at the Kid's Table, to a grouchy old woman who refused to listen when Sanji was trying to explain why she couldn't simply buy a replacement screen for her son's iPhone and that she had to send it in for repairs. When Ace finally shut the doors it was met with a sigh of relief from everyone.

As everyone else hurried home, Sanji hung back to help Ace shut down everything, set the alarms and lock up. Making their way through the empty, after hours mall Sanji finally dropped the bomb he'd been meaning to ask Ace for a while now.

“I was thinking about what you said.” Sanji alluded casually, “About designing games and stuff. I think I'd like to try applying for a more serious position in the store.”

“You serious?!” Ace balked, “That's awesome!”

“Yeah, I mean...” Sanji shrugged disparagingly, not wanting to really reveal the fact that he wanted to start looking for more serious employment was because of Zoro's influence. He didn't need Ace gushing over it, or for Zoro to know and get an even more inflated ego than he already had. “It's about time I go back to school and think about my future.”

“Dude. That's awesome.” Ace grinned, “What'd you have in mind?”

“I was thinking of taking a few courses so it'll look good on my resume and then finally get off the floor and maybe get a gig actually repairing things full time. Maybe even start writing code for some new systems.”

“No shit.” Ace grinned, and Sanji could already tell he was gushing happily but refrained from rolling his eyes at his friend's behavior, “Where you thinking of going to school?”

“Probably RLU[1].” Sanji shrugged, adjusting the pack on his shoulder, “I've heard good things about the place, plus it's only a bus ride away from my apartment.”

“Well, I can shoot a text to our GM tomorrow about recommended courses and if there's anything she thinks you should look into.” Ace offered, holding open the mall doors for Sanji as they made their way outside, “How long till applications close?”

“That'd be awesome, thank you.” Sanji stepped through the offered doorway out into the pale afternoon light. The sky was clear despite the forecast calling for rain and summer clearly in the air as a warm breeze whipped by. “And I still got a few weeks before semester applications close, so take your time.”

They paused out on the busy sidewalk, Ace intending to walk around back to the employee parking lot around the corner. Raising an arm in a jerky wave Sanji called a cab towards him, slinging off his backpack as he waited for the cab to pull up beside them on the sidewalk.

“Where are you off to?” Ace grinned, eyeing the bag and then the cab with a knowing smirk.

“Zoro's.” Sanji responded cheekily, his excitement clearly showing on his face though it wasn't exactly like he was trying to hide it. He was finally going for dinner at his boyfriend's house and spending the night, he had every right in the world to look smug.

“You dog.” Ace chuckled, watching as Sanji pulled open a door and threw his bag inside before continuing as the blond slide a foot into the awaiting vehicle, “You gotta introduce us sometime, yeah?”

“Absolutely.” Sanji nodded, plopping down in his seat, “When neither of us are working. I think you'll like him.”

The cabby huffed impatiently so Ace simply nodded with a reassuring smile as Sanji slammed the door shut, giving a small wave before settling into his seat as he pulled out his phone. Finding the address in the text history and listing it off to the man quickly.

~X~

Standing on the crack riddled sidewalk he stared down at the address in his phone one last time to make sure the cabby had absolutely gotten it right before glancing back up at the glistening apartment complex towering above him. Casting a furtive look to his right and then left he took in the small, quaint courtyard that safeguarded the entrance to the elaborate complex.

Tucking his phone away in his pocket Sanji let out a low whistle at the mere height of the building Zoro had taken up residence in, digging around in his back pocket and pulling out a crushed box of cigarettes. Tapping the box absently on the back of his hand to pack the tobacco better he turned to assess the rest of the area.

Right in the middle of downtown Seattle, the apartment wasn't far from the hustled of East Blue Boulevard where the man worked, and was blocks away from the nightlife down on Red Line Street. Surrounded by hundreds of other towering structures, Sanji could distantly make out the top of Space Needle between to large bank offices.

Pulling a cigarette free, he placed it between his lips as he as he flicked his lighter absently, knowing that this was probably the last cigarette he was going to get for the evening. A lot of the downtown apartments forbid smoking in them, even if a balcony was present. Placing the tip to the flame and taking a long drag, he reveled in the nicotine soaking his slightly agitated lungs.

Blowing out a stream of smoke he scoffed quietly as he noticed a man currently exiting the building and eyeing Sanji with disdain. Whether it was because of the cigarette, or the fact that a delinquent looking kid like him was hanging around his apartment in such a shady manner Sanji couldn't tell. Giving a companionable wave and a jaunty smile, Sanji basked in the disgruntled look on his face before he ignored him.

It hardly bothered Sanji. He was used to people looking at him and assuming the worst. The pitying looks he got from working a retail job at a mall, to his cozy flat in the middle of downtown; people assumed he was hard done by and a sad case. It was far easier to let people think that than instead having to explain how he inexplicably came by so much money while working minimum wage.

Enjoying the early afternoon sun he finished his smoke in relative silence, the constant thrum of the city however unfortunately present. When he eventually got down to the filter he felt marginally better after such a long day at work, and not at all worried about seeing Zoro's place for the first time.

Removing the stub of his cigarette from his lips he ground it out on the sole of his shoe before tossing it into an ashtray stationed just outside the front doors. Glancing on the registry before locating Dr. Roronoa in fancy cursive script and snorting quietly. Pressing the button he wondered idly if he chose to have that title used or if the complex did it automatically.

A few moment passed before a voice buzzed through, “Hello?”

“It's Sanji.” Sanji clarified quickly.

“Awesome.” Zoro's voice crackled through the speaker, “Floor 20. Flat 13E.”

“'Kay. Be right up.”

The door buzzed loudly and then clicked, allowing Sanji inside. Making his way through the lobby to the elevator, he was soon on the twentieth floor and standing nervously in front of Zoro's apartment door. Judging from the layout of the building there were approximately two to three apartments per floor, and the place was miraculously maintained.

Giving a swift knock, Sanji waited as he cast an absent glance around himself at the empty hall, distantly hearing the sound of footsteps nearing. A moment later the knob twisted and the door was swung back to reveal the owner, looking extremely relaxed as he stood barefoot in his fitted black sweat pants, and white tank top.

His face immediately lit up at Sanji's appearance and he grinned, “Hey.”

“Hi.” Sanji offered, suddenly feeling a little awkward standing in the man's doorway, not sure if he was supposed to wait for an invitation inside or if he was just supposed to act like he owned the place. Zoro took the option from him with a hand tangled in his blue hoodie, dragging him forward into a soft kiss and a pleased hum.

It was gentle, playful, and Sanji distantly heard the door close behind him as both of Zoro hand's came to rest on his lower back comfortably. It was with a final flick of his tongue before Zoro ended the kiss with a leisurely press of his lips against Sanji's and muttered, “Good to see you.”

“You too, Dr. Roronoa.” Sanji jested, lips curving into a smile as they remained pressed against Zoro's lightly.

Zoro groaned regrettably, letting his lips fall from Sanji's to curl his forehead into the groove of Sanji's neck and shoulder, “You saw that?”

“Of course.” Sanji turned in Zoro's hold to smirk down at the man currently dying of embarrassment in his shoulder, “How could I miss it?”

“It wasn't me.” Zoro grunted petulantly as he pulled slowly out the embrace with a grimace, “When I signed the lease and paid the damage deposit they saw the status on my check and well...”

“Assumed you'd want the title?” Sanji drawled with a chuckle, “I must say Doctor, I'm finding your reluctantly appointment title quite arousing.”

“Oh, shut up.” Zoro gave an exhaustive roll of his eyes before smirking as he made his way into the house, motioning for Sanji to follow him. Kicking off his shoes he finally cast an appreciative look around the whole place.

Zoro's house was gorgeous. Very open and spacious with most of the walls replaced with large paneled windows facing out onto the city below. Off to the right was a large archway leading to an extraordinarily modern kitchen and dining area that was entirely naturally light by the sunlight. 

The living room was placed adjacent to the kitchen with an unmarked view of the Seattle skyline, and off to the left was a long hall that branched off to several unmarked rooms. It was refreshing and comforting environment that was so open and spacious, the whole layout of the flat practically visible the moment you walked in the front door. 

“Damn.” Sanji finally admitted as he followed Zoro into the kitchen, casting a glance out the window, “This view is amazing.”

Zoro grinned, obviously pleased by Sanji's awe, “Perks of a doctor's salary.”

“I'll bet.” Sanji scoffed.

“I used to live in the studio flat above the clinic.” Zoro explained as he lead Sanji into the kitchen where he already had a couple plates set out on the stylish marble topped island separating the kitchen from the dining area. “I liked it but one of my practitioners – Perona, I don't think you've met her yet – said I needed to think about settling down,” Zoro snorted, “Needed to live somewhere acceptable.”

“Well, it's gorgeous.” Sanji reassured, “The view alone is worth it.”

“Definitely my favorite part of the morning,” Zoro agreed as he began pulling some glasses from a cupboard, pulling a jug of water from the fridge along with two bottles. Extending one towards Sanji, “Brewski?”

“Thanks.” Sanji supplied, taking the bottle and twisting the lid off. Taking a swig before laughing softly, “This definitely not what I expected though.”

“What did you expect?”

“I dunno.” Sanji mused with a shrug, “Some erotic paintings depicting some bondage, maybe a few chains and shackles hanging from the walls on a plaque. You know, an artistic homage to your sexual preferences.”

“I'm sorry to disappoint.” Zoro deadpanned, grin quirking his lips as he turned to the ove.

“I suppose I'll cope.” Sanji sighed heavily, fighting back a smile as he watched Zoro pulled open the oven door, “You cook often?”

“Never.”

Zoro pulled out a large tray that had several Styrofoam packages, and tinfoil pans on it that had clearly been keeping warm inside the tepid oven. One whiff and Sanji realized what the man was serving and he couldn't stop himself from grinning broadly at the man's choice of dinner.

“Not that I am one to turn down Chinese takeout.” Sanji mused as he pried apart a set of chopsticks with a snap, “But I was under the impression that you'd be cooking dinner, Dr. Roronoa.”

“Hey,” Zoro defended hotly with a chuckle, “I have a Master's in physiotherapy, not cooking. I got through college like every other poor med student; living off ramen noodles and discount pizza.”

“I'm surprised you didn't get scurvy.” Sanji scoffed as he opened one of the containers of chow mien, choking back a moan at the sweet smell that rolled off the noodles in a burst of hearty steam.

“My roommate Johnny assured me it was because of the tomato sauce and pineapples on the pizza.” 

“Christ.” Sanji muttered lowly, shaking his head as he shoveled a mouthful of noodles into his mouth. “Should I be thanking some deity that you're here today and not dead from malnourishment?”

“Probably.” Zoro chuckled, already distracted as he piled his own plate high with everything available in front of them. Pulling a stool out to sit across from Sanji as they both began tucking into the hot food.

They ate in relative silence, both clearly starving after a long day at work, and Sanji really had to hand it to Zoro; the food was top notch. Smothering a grin with a mouthful of sweet and sour chicken he tried not get too soft over the fact that at least if the man was going to buy take out he was going to go for the expensive stuff.

“So,” Sanji pondered after they were both fairly full, pushing a ginger strip around his plate with his chopsticks before asking cheekily, “where's your dungeon?”

Zoro froze, chopsticks hovering in front of his mouth with a piece of dripping sweet and sour pork as he gaped, “Excuse me?”

“You know...” Sanji prodded idly, leaning across the counter with a mischievous grin, eyebrows waggling suggestively, “Your torture chamber? Punishment Playroom? Where you tie me up and leave me?”

Zoro's mouth twitched imperceptibly, clearly fighting back a laugh, before finally giving in and laughing heartily, “How much porn do you watch?”

“At least twice a day.” Sanji grinned playful, finding a full stomach did wonders for his confidence and ability to taunt the man, “Thrice if I can sneak it in during my lunch break.”

Zoro slowly lowered his chopsticks and was apparently debating the merits of continuing that line of conversation, but seemed to think better of it. Shaking his head with a dismissive chuckle, picking up a napkin and wiping his mouth and hands idly before finally meeting Sanji's playful grin.

“I keep everything in my room. But's not like it's a...” Trailing off with a laugh he pushed up off his stool, grabbed his beer and flicked a hand in front of himself, “Follow me.”

Sanji hardly tried to hide his excitement as he bounded off his stool to follow Zoro out of the kitchen and down the hall, pointing out doors along the hallway, “That's the spare guest room, bathroom's here, and that's my office.”

“My room's this way.” Zoro explained as they continued down the landing to the door on the end, throwing the door open for Sanji to enter.

The room was actually fairly normal as far as bedrooms went. Bed comfortably situated in the corner to the left of the door, covers and sheets a tangled mess from where Zoro had clearly crawled out of them early that morning. A small alcove was beside it that functioned as a walk-in closet, dirty laundry on the floor within that appeared discarded carelessly. Beside the bed was a small night table with a reading lamp situated on it, and a large bay window on the far wall gazing out on to a beautiful view of bay surrounding downtown.

What was a little off about the room however was the large suspended case on one of the walls, and a large dresser with an inordinate amount of drawers. The only other thing Sanji noted was a few rings that were attached to the ceiling at key points that he undoubtedly knew were for something kinky. Possibly a sex swing, or another form of levitated bondage.

“What?” Zoro scoffed around a grin, when Sanji failed to say anything, “Were you imagining all brick walls and stone floors, chains hanging from the ceiling?”

“Something along those lines, yeah.” Sanji mused, taking in the warm yellow wall paper with a curious frown. Expecting a dark maroon or inky black, but surprisingly calmed by the soothing atmosphere. It certainly didn't look anything like his vivid imagination had supplied, but he actually found himself loving the simplicity of it all.

“You watch way too much porn.” Zoro restated with an exasperated roll of his eyes, tucking inside the room after the blond and shutting the door behind them. Slipping a free hand into his pocket and sipping on his beer as he let Sanji take in the space.

Sanji took a few cautious steps further into the room, realizing with a dawning clarity that this is where Zoro did his scenes. This is where he had enacted out role-play scenes and bondage scenarios with others before him, and would eventually be doing to Sanji. Essentially he had entered Zoro's domain and he wasn't entirely sure what was now allowed and what was not.

When Zoro made no sound or move to stop him he continued more cautiously towards the large cases and drawers near the back of the room that he was beginning to suspect were filled with ridiculous amounts of toys and bondage materials. If what Zoro brought over in that bag was just a sampling of his items, Sanji was dying of curiosity to see just how extensive Zoro's collection and needs went.

Finger hooking in one of the top drawers, he slid one the smooth, metallic drawers from its modern black chic foundation and gazed inside. Neatly laid out were an assortment of silk bands, different lengths and thicknesses; colors varied but all with a very dark tone. It seemed they were meant mostly for blindfolding or very light bondage.

Carefully sliding the drawer closed he glanced at Zoro to gauge the man's reaction and found him simply standing and watching Sanji coolly. The blond took this as an okay to continue and he picked another random drawer to open, gasping when he saw the collection of plugs inside.

All in varying sizes and colors. Some with smooth matte finishes that made them look almost childish in their innocence, while others were transparent with bubbles and interesting finishing touches on the insides. Rubber, glass, silicon… Some with jewel encrusted ends, other with tails and handles. Even a few that appeared to be battery operated.

“Wow.” Sanji managed out thickly, sliding the drawer closed a little harshly, “You have ah... quite the collection.”

“Everyone has a hobby.” Zoro supplied simply, before taking another swig.

Sanji turned slowly to face the Dom, leaving the drawers as he took a step forward, “And you – you've used all this?”

“A fair bit; yes.” Zoro nodded, “A lot have been gifts, and personal interest.”

Something jealous and heated desperately wanted to know about the donors of these most generous gifts and what role they had to play in Zoro's life and the use of aforementioned objects. Though the spark of envy was insignificant in his desire to know what the man had reserved for his personal usage. The thought of Zoro alone, pleasuring himself with his own toys was an image he wasn't soon going to forget.

Coughing lightly to try and cover his sudden flushed interest he pressed, “So, what is what?”

Zoro arched a brow silently, and Sanji gestured wildly towards the large storage unit to convey what he was talking about. Though he was more than willing to explore through each of the drawers on his own, he wasn't sure Zoro had the patience – nor he the reserved disposition – to make it through before wanting to test some of the things out.

Pointing lazily to the top left corner and swiping across Zoro easily listed off what was in each, “Top row is bondage; silks, leathers, ropes, rubber, spandex. Second row is insertion toys; oral, anal, vaginal. Third is restraints; clamps, rings, bars, gloves. And fourth is all miscellaneous; electrical, wax, knives, et cetera.”

Tongue flicking out to wet parched lips Sanji murmured, “Quite organized.”

“I like being able to find everything on short notice.” Zoro gave Sanji a playful wink, and Sanji was drawn back to their first conversation when the man had claimed to having no qualms about showing up at his places with some rope. It seemed that the man really had not been joking.

Sanji refrained from grinning, and nodded minutely as he agreed, “Probably wise.”

That gained a small chuckle from the man as Sanji's attention was now focused on the next surreptitious thing in the room.

“What's in there?” Sanji jerked his head towards the large case and Zoro grinned cheekily, making his way over with Sanji numbly following behind.

“I think you'll like it.” Zoro muttered mysteriously, though the childish look of glee gave the man away entirely as he unhooked the latch and opened the large double doors for Sanji to get a good look at the contents.

“Holy shit.” Sanji breathed out reverently, unable to tear his eyes away from the wall of veritable play things that was presented before him and the variety that assaulted him. In utter awe he tried to take in everything he was seeing as rows upon rows of varying flogs hung neatly from their hooks, and underneath crops in varying shapes, sizes and materials were presented. There were paddles of assorted sizes and colors, some decorated with studs or print meant to mark the skin, and near the bottom were a few single strand whips in all their pure black leather glory, shining in the faint light of the room tantalizingly.

“I had a feeling you'd appreciate it.” Zoro grinned, letting Sanji take it all in as the blond slowly began to recover from his shock and walk forward to assess all the items. 

Not sure if he was allowed to touch Sanji kept his hands to himself as he gazed at all the forms of flogs and whips that were presented. He was particularly captivated by a row of flogs, each with a different colored band around the handle and the strips of leather looking varying shades of brown. Most of them looked identical with long thick strips of leather, but near the end there were a few with braided or knotted strands, metal chain links and even a few that looked like strands of silk.

Turning to Zoro in a mildly affronted tone Sanji accused, “You've had all this the entire time and you've only ever brought over those measly toys?”

“Those measly toys were to let me get a gauge of your abilities and how comfortable you are, before I start testing and stretching your limits.” Zoro scoffed through a chuckle as he made his way to the side of the display case, eyeing up his collection minutely before glancing back at Sanji, “I said I was going to start slow.”

“Fair.” Sanji pouted lightly, feeling slightly put out for being berated over his excitement, “It's just these are amazing...”

“We'll get to those in due time.” Zoro promised through a smile, “It's not like we have a deadline to reach.”

“What exactly make these so different?” Sanji asked curiously, turning back to the wall of flogs, still sorely tempted to touch them, but he still wasn't sure if he was allowed to. There was an enticing blue one with melt beads intermittently strung along the strips of leather that he was itching to feel under his palm.

A smirk played at the corner of Zoro's lips as he muttered, “The fact that you don't know is why it's best we work our way up to them.”

“Alright, Flogs 101, let's do this.” Sanji urged with a cheeky wiggle and bounce in his step, “Unless you had something else planned after dinner?”

“Well...” Zoro seemed to be actually debating it before giving in and dropping his head to shake it lightly, “No, not really.”

“Perfect.” Sanji bit out through a grin, “Then hop to it. Give it to me.”

Zoro bit back a smile as he eyed the case before finally adopting a more serious, and professional tone, setting his beer aside on the dresser full of toys. 

“Flogs, and whips and paddles for that matter, have either a thud or a sting affect to them.” Zoro explained as he snatched a flog from the wall, hand holding the handle expertly as he trailed the strands across his empty palm tantalizingly, “The different the leather and the thickness of the strands, the different effect the blow will have. This one here is a basic suede with thick strands, it would provide more of a thud sensation.”

Sanji eyed the item heatedly, already imagining what it might feel like if Zoro chose to use it on him tonight. Swallowing thickly he asked, “What one did you use on me?”

Placing the flog back on the rack with care Zoro mused, “Simple leather. A mixture of sting and thud. I wanted to see what exactly you responded to; you're definitely more reactive to sting.”

“And the leathers make a difference?”

“Yes, deerskin and suede are more soft and better for impact, though they can still provide a lot of sting if thin enough.” Zoro shrugged, “It's a lot to do with personal choice too.”

Sanji swallowed thickly, noting how much his body was already thrumming at the thought of testing out and using these different flogs. The pain he had gotten from being whipped by Sadi had been amazing but he had never known that there was so much more that could be done. All of these sudden, new options were causing his mouth to water, “Can we try some of them tonight?”

“Some. Sure.” Zoro conceded, as he gestured absently toward the flog Sanji had noticed earlier with its silken strands, “Eventually we'll work down the line, maybe even get to the horse hair flog. That's advanced though.”

Zoro began closing the case as Sanji asked hurriedly, “What about the whips? That was always Sadi's weapon of choice.”

“Single tailed whips are on the extreme end of the sting scale.” Zoro nodded sagely, “It's why I had a hunch you'd enjoy the leather flog.”

“Can we try a whip tonight?”

Hands freezing on the latch to the cabinet doors, Zoro looked up at Sanji slightly surprised, “You want to try that already?”

“I've already done it.” Sanji offered with an innocent shrug, hoping that his experience in this area might cause for Zoro to cave. Honestly, he knew in the end it was Zoro's decision, but sure enough goading might sway the man's choices.

“Probably not enough for what I want to do to you.” The Dom murmured softly, though more to himself than anything else.

The heated words had Sanji's reply dying in his throat as an excited, yet intimidated shiver crawled across Sanji's skin. It was almost terrifying how much Zoro's words could affect him; the imagery alone had warmth pooling in his gut and a pinch of arousal itching beneath the surface of his skin.

“But--” Sanji tried to argue but was abruptly cut off.

“I mean if you want to; of course.” Zoro faltered a little bit, rubbing at the back of his neck as he cast an agitated glance to the side, “It's just that I don't agree with your previous Dom's methods.”

Sanji's eyes widened slightly, he'd always been so focused on his and Zoro's relationship he hadn't really considered how the man might feel about past history. Sanji was just beginning to understand the pangs of jealously at hearing about Zoro's past subs, he hadn't even began to ponder how his previous Dom's might bother Zoro.

Hoping to diffuse the tension Sanji added, “Look, it's fine. It's not like she didn't ask; I was totally consenting.”

“Naw. No, I know.” Zoro waved it off with an almost embarrassed shake of his head. His hands sliding into the pockets of his sweats as his frown seemed to be waging war on his face in an attempt to keep his pout at bay. Settling on childishly pursed lips he mumbled, “It's just not how I like doing things.”

Sanji couldn't stop debating the vicissitudes of Zoro's behavior and the emotions it elicited inside of him. Part of him was still so touched and grateful for the passionate way Zoro was determined to act towards Sanji and his inexperience. But another part of him – a nervous, yet yearning part of him – just wanted Zoro to give in already and come at Sanji with everything he had.

Damn the consequences.

He wanted to be grasped, and bound, and beaten in ways that he had never felt before, and reach a plateau of pleasure he had never thought possible. He wanted everything and anything Zoro could give him despite how much it might hurt or how wrecked he might be afterwards. He wanted his limits fucking destroyed by this man, and it terrified and excited him all in the same moment.

Though his gratitude for Zoro eventually won out as he asked curiously, “What do you mean?”

“I like getting acquainted with my sub first. Learning their body, figuring out their limits; then working from there.” Zoro tugged on his bangs agitated, as he cast Sanji a weary glance, “I don't mind pushing farther if you want me to, but personally I like working my sub up to it.”

Sanji sort of understood where Zoro was coming from, he'd known the man long enough he was starting to understand Zoro's methods and kinks. Whereas Sanji accepted his masochism easily, it seemed Zoro's wants weren't as easily construed. Zoro really did seem to get genuine pleasure and satisfaction from teaching Sanji, and working him up.

“Okay.” Sanji finally nodded, accepting Zoro's choice silently but pointing out simply, “I'm just saying that we can start from a more intense level if you want to.”

“You're my sub now.” Zoro stated, softly yet firmly, “I don't care what you've done with anyone else, I won't let it reflect poorly on me and my choices.”

“I may be inexperienced, but that doesn't mean I'm delicate.” Sanji pointed out, “I'm new but I can handle a hell of a lot more than you're giving me credit for.”

“Alright.” Zoro finally acceded firmly, a pleased yet determined look on his face, “You want to take more; I'm all for a challenge. Let's test your limits.”

Sanji blinked owlishly at the man as he adopted such an agreeable tone, slightly in shock over how easily Zoro had given in. Swallowing stiffly at the dark, excited look Zoro directed his way, roped arms crossed over a broad chest as he smirked at Sanji, and Sanji in turn hardened his gaze, licking his lips intently before grinning, “Bring it on.”

Zoro was on him a lot faster than his previously calm outward demeanor would belie, hands sliding into Sanji's hair in possessive, furtive grasps, body pressing up against him in one fluid motion as he dragged Sanji's lips to his. The kiss was immediately savage as the man seemed desperate to make a point, hand tilting Sanji's head to the side to deepen the kiss with tongue and teeth.

Sanji responded instantly, socked feet bumping against Zoro's bare one's as he tried to get closer. Slotting his hips against Zoro's and reveling in the blunt feel of his hipbones grinding against him with each pointed roll of his hips. The kiss became sloppy as Sanji moaned into it, hands rucking up the thread bare tank top to grapple at the tight muscle beneath. Each frantic touch and kneading grasp only served to rectify Sanji's need to get the man unclothed and on top of him.

Hands finally freeing from their abuse on Sanji's hair they lowered to take a bruising, controlled grip on Sanji's hips as he backed him up across the short space of the room. Forcing his knees to buckle slightly when they came in contact with the bed and Zoro's hands started a new path up and under the blond's shirt. Mouth finally releasing Sanji's as his teeth played roughly at the bone of Sanji's jaw.

“I'm going to wreck you.” Zoro hissed as his lips slid to Sanji's ear, hands already tugging at Sanji's shirt and working it over the blond's head, “One day, I'm going to punish you for all the attitude you're constantly giving me.”

“You love it.” Sanji offered between biting kisses, pulling back as his shirt was fully removed and tossed to the side before clinging to the man once more. 

“Unfortunately.” Zoro grunted while working at the belt of Sanji's jeans with angered jerks, his affectionate tone belying his aggressive movements, “I'm not going to let you do that forever, you know?”

Teeth finding his ear as he bit the lobe harshly, “You could whip me. Teach me a lesson?”

“You'd enjoy it.” Zoro chuckled breathlessly as he finally managed to get Sanji's belt off, “How is that a punishment?”

“Point.” Sanji conceded, and then conversation was lost as there was more important things to be doing than arguing with the Dom about the semantics of his punishment. Belt discarded on the floor Zoro made quick work of the fly before he was jerking Sanji's jeans down over his defined hips.

Leaving the jeans caught at Sanji's bony knees, Zoro dropped to his and gave a nuzzling kiss to Sanji's hardening erection that was beginning to strain his boxers. Nose pushing against it as he paused to take a deep inhale before turning and taking the side into his mouth. The image of Zoro with his perfect teeth enclosing softly along the length of his clothed dick were going to be burned into his memory forever.

“Hu-oh fuck...” Sanji breathed softly, hand shaking as it hovered over Zoro's head, desperate to tangle his hand in the soft hair but unsure if he was allowed.

Zoro seemed to remember himself upon Sanji's outburst and he retracted his mouth after giving a short, reverent kiss. Pushing himself to his feet he eyed Sanji shortly before pushed the blond back onto the bed with a hand to his chest. Divesting Sanji of the rest of his clothing before standing to take in Sanji's bare and disheveled state with an incredible look of satisfaction.

“Stay!” Zoro ordered harshly as he turned away from the bed, and for a gut wrenching moment Sanji was sure Zoro was going to leave the room and let Sanji sit down here in punishment as he had threatened. His panic was alleviated when Zoro began pulling stuff off of shelves and out of drawers, before returning to the bed and depositing everything at Sanji's feet.

Sanji was a bit overwhelmed by all the objects he was presented with, not entirely sure which were being used where and what even some of the stuff was. Suddenly Sanji was acutely aware of why Zoro wanted to take it slow and make sure Sanji was accustomed to everything, but he bit his tongue, refusing to let the Dom know he was right.

After all this whole process was about Sanji pushing himself and his limits, how was he supposed to grow as a sub if he fled at the slightest bit of uncertainty? Besides, Zoro had never led him astray before, and as intimidating as it might be there was sure to be a worthwhile pay off if he just stuck with it. Plus the look Zoro was giving him at the moment was more than worth it.

“Safeword?” Zoro asked sharply, “In case this gets a bit much?”

“Terminator.” Sanji grinned sly, having a bit too much fun coming up with weird words to use and enjoying Zoro's exasperated but affectionate eye roll.

Propping himself up on his elbows he watched as Zoro seemed to contemplate his choices before snatching up a long chrome bar with four leather straps dangling from the ends menacingly. Sanji didn't know what it was, but he had some form of idea of what Zoro was planning to use it for. His hunch was only confirmed when Zoro situated himself between Sanji's legs and began fastening the first strap to his upper thigh.

Sanji shamelessly watched as Zoro strapped the cuffs around his thigh and then calf before linking them together so his knee was permanently bent, before setting to work on the other leg. Gleefully kneeling before Zoro when he was done with the spreader bar and his legs were permanently spread as he was stuck in his submissive position, he watched as Zoro shifted through the items again before pulling up a set of handcuffs.

The cuffs were put on with the same amount of haste and care as the leg straps were, before his hands were jerked down and a clink confirmed the ring of his cuffs was now firmly attached to the bar between his legs. It forced him forward just enough that he was in a perfectly exposed kneeling position, back and ass bared fully.

As Sanji got accustomed to the position, Zoro went over to the case and he watched eagerly as he began selecting and pulling several off the rack. A few simple leather strand flogs, one with thin strands and tiny knots on the tips, one with chains, a bootlace one with pointed metal tips, and a single riding crop. Sanji watched heatedly as his Dom returned to the bed, laying out each of the flogs neatly on the end.

“We're gonna use the stoplight safeword tonight,” Zoro explained carefully, selecting a rather normal looking flog with warm brown leather strands, “Green means harder, yellow means gentler, red means stop. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“At any time you want to stop the entire scene you use the agreed safeword from earlier. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Ass or back?”

Sanji contemplated it for a long moment, having thoroughly enjoyed the treatment Zoro had given to his back over the course of the past week. But he hadn't yet tried anything to Sanji's ass and he was curious to see how it would differ. Licking his lips excitedly Sanji muttered, “Ass.”

“Alright.” Zoro grinned, “Let's get you warmed up.”

Completely blind to what was going on behind him, Sanji jerked at the first soft touch of the flog being trailed gently across his rear. The strands slipping and falling like rivulets of water as they each marked their own path across his skin. A few more gentle caresses and then the leather retreated only to return in a light, full claiming slap across his glutes. It wasn't meant to hurt or sting, it was just a light thud that warmed the flesh as Sanji closed his eyes to revel in it.

It wasn't long before the strikes picked up in intensity and Zoro adopted a firm criss-cross strike pattern to mark each cheek individually as he worked the leather much harder than he ever had the past week. He seemed intent on making a point, furious by Sanji's defiance, but Sanji only basked in his reward. Lip worried between his teeth as he bit back a moan at the burning sting beginning to riddle his flesh.

Each time he uttered, “Green.” He curled a breathy groan around the word and preened at the choked growl of annoyance it gained from his Dom. And it wasn't long before Sanji felt the flog tossed aside as Zoro snatched up a new one.

“This one has knots.” Zoro warned thickly, “The sting is going to be drastically worse.”

The warning fell on deaf ears as Sanji's cock simply gave an interested twitch from where it hung thick and erect between his legs, already dripping eagerly from the few times that a strand of leather had missed its mark on his rear and had managed to smack his sack instead. It was almost ridiculous how readily his body would respond to a simple strike of pain, but he was hardly complaining as Zoro pushed him closer and closer to the edge.

“Green.” Sanji urged Zoro, teeth gritting in excitement over the new flog and what it would feel like.

A moment later Zoro brought the flog down with a wicked crack, the smack echoing throughout the small bedroom and nearly lost under Sanji's forced cry. Breathless and eyes watering Sanji had to take a moment to find himself again as the drastic difference in the flogs had his chest constricting and his cock aching.

The strands were glorious and thin, but those knots on the end were like needles piercing deeper into him than he had thought possible. It was a totally brand new sensation that rocked him to his core; just when he thought the sting couldn't get any better it did. Just when the bite was beginning to dull, Zoro brought it back with glaring clarity.

Sanji realized Zoro hadn't moved to continue and he choked out heavily, “Green.” Though the word got caught in his throat and it was clear that he was beginning to lose his control.

A rather proud huff was heard from Zoro before he set to work emblazoning the new flog into Sanji's ass. Each strike was glorious in its accuracy, drawing diagonally across his left cheek in a perfect swipe, before changing and striking the right with an opposite motion. It wasn't long before Sanji found himself riding back into the strikes in a way he hadn't been able to when it was delivered to his back.

When on his shoulders he could rock back into it, brace for it, even arch with it, but on his ass he was able to ride it. Each blow striking hard and deep as he rolled himself back to ride the wave of pain dancing across his flesh. The little knots sending skittering jolts of pain inside of him, into places he didn't think he could feel. It wasn't long before he fell forward, propping himself up on the bed with his forehead as he used the position to better bare himself to the Dom.

Whereas with his shoulders he could feel the force echoing through his lungs, with this he felt it deep in his gut. A sharp tingling that was reminiscent of a harsh, penetrative thrust. The force alone was not unlike being fucked and he found himself ducking his face into the sheets as he let Zoro force himself inside with the flick of his wrist alone.

All too soon it was becoming overwhelming. The sting of the flog reaching far deeper each time, and while his tolerance grew his ability to stave off his need to orgasm was diminishing. It made him feel like his dick was gonna split right open just from the sensation alone, and he couldn't even distinguish whether or not it was because it was good or bad. It just was.

Zoro abruptly stopped and Sanji fought to fight off a desperate whine as the skin on his rear ached with a deep burn and he could feel his hole quivering with the need to just have something in it. Zoro hadn't laid a hand on him and he was already a shivering, longing mess on the verge of cumming. It was getting to the point where Sanji was sure the man could bring him to completion if he just branded his ass enough times.

“G-Green.” Sanji panted out heavily, not sure why Zoro was stopping, but knowing that he didn't want him too. It was the equivalent of him stopping or pulling out mid-thrust.

“All in due time.” Zoro laughed lightly, dropping the flog to the bed and picking up a new one, the clinking of the chain audible to Sanji's ears.

Sanji braced himself for the hit, but it never came. Instead he found himself jolting in shock as the links of metal were draped gently across his shoulder and dragged down his back in a slow caress. The metal was cold against his skin; the little beads crawled and danced across his red, heated flesh in the most tantalizing way. It had Sanji's skin crawling and body shuddering as he wondered if Zoro was going to use that one next.

“This one is still too advanced for you.” Zoro taunted, removing the flog just as Sanji was beginning to revel in the tiny metal links crawling across his back, and tossed it aside on the bed, “I'm trying to make a point with you, not hurt you. Maybe if you're good we'll get to it sometime next week.”

“'M so close.” Sanji whined into the bedspread desperately. He was sure talking out of turn would get him in trouble but he was past the point of caring.

“Precisely.” Zoro crooned, lips coming to worship Sanji's neck in soft, reverent presses. “Why end the fun so soon?”

Zoro's bare hand traced lovingly across the red, aching flesh of Sanji's rear, before delivering a harsh blow that had Sanji sobbing into the spit soaked blanket under him. Teeth gnawing at the fabric as Zoro smoothed over the strike with a gentle caress and soothing hum.

“The better you get at taking them; the more I will reward you.” Zoro promised with a chaste kiss pressed to Sanji's temple and then he was pulling away. Hand falling away from his rear to twist him from his knees onto his back, legs still locked in place by the bar. “The longer you can last; the more time I'll take to pleasure you.”

On his back, and able to take a moment to breathe, Sanji found himself getting better reigns on his control as he blinked the sweat and tears from his vision to look up at Zoro whom had picked up another toy off of the pile on the bed. The Dom seemed to be waiting for Sanji's gaze before continuing and Sanji was ready to take anything Zoro was willing to give, far too aroused at this point to complain or care about what he was offered.

“Remember this?” Zoro held up the machine teasingly, and Sanji vaguely remembered it from their Skype session when Zoro had been explaining about electrical play. Sanji nodded dumbly as Zoro grinned, “Good.”

Zoro supplied no further explanation as he began sticking the sticker like pads to certain points on Sanji. Two placed on his inner thighs, one on the tight swollen mound of his balls, and two more on his lower abdomen bordering his happy trail. He could already tell that they were going to pull at the hairs once they were removed.

Once finished Zoro glanced back up at Sanji, “Ready?”

Sanji suddenly felt panic grip him so solidly he was worried he was going to start hyperventilating. Sure, he had seen enough porn to know what the electromagnetic machine would do, but the videos had always made it look so intense. Was it immediately going to shock him full power? Was he going to start convulsing off the bat? Pain to his back and ass he could take, but to his balls?

He'd never been electrocuted before in his life and suddenly he was all too aware of how scared he was. The urge to call 'Red' strangled in the back of his throat as he gifted Zoro with a panicked look. Zoro paused long enough for Sanji to choke out, “Yellow.”

It was almost kind of shocking how swiftly Zoro's demeanor dropped and he was at Sanji's side, strong sure hands cupping his cheeks as gentle lips were pressed to his. It was so out of character that Sanji just lay for a moment in shock as he stared up at the concerned man.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah. Um... yea?” Sanji fumbled, still a little shocked at Zoro's reaction time, staring up at the man as if he were the one that was causing Sanji concern, “I just haven't used one of these before. What's going to happen?”

A relieved look washed across Zoro's face as he picked up the remote once more after giving Sanji a final heated kiss that had Sanji wondering why he had ever questioned in the first place whether or not Zoro knew what he was doing. Zoro still seemed unsure as his hands wandered over Sanji's chest and legs slowly, massaging gently and giving what felt like little apologetic squeezes.

“It'll start out soft, like a tickle.” Zoro assured, a free hand coming to slip around Sanji's cock and giving an adoring stroke, “And I'll only increase it once I'm sure you're okay. Do you still want to continue?”

Still entirely too enraptured by the glorious hand giving him relief on his dick, he nodded vigorously before grunting, “Green.”

A dull click could be heard as Zoro turned on the first setting and Sanji frowned as nothing at first became apparent, there was a very distant sensation on his skin – like someone was pressing their lips to his inner thigh and humming – but that aside there was nothing.

Tentatively eyeing Zoro he muttered, “Green?”

Another click accompanied by a smirk, and Sanji twitched lightly as he was beginning to understand what Zoro was getting at with the machine. Definitely a little bit stronger than the first setting he could feel the small jolts beginning to worm under his skin and loosen the muscles. Still only a distant sensation on his legs, he could feel the full force of it against his sack. Tingling and vibrating, it was like a mouth had engulfed it and had begun humming pleasantly.

“Green.” Sanji urged this time, wanting more than just this teasing thrum.

A sharper click this time and his legs twitched against his will as the little bolts of electricity thrummed through his muscles making his abs melt, balls tighten, and inner thighs twitch. Every fiber in his being wanted to clamp his legs shut against the onslaught of pleasure pulsing through his lower body, but the bar prevented it.

It was drastically stronger than the first two settings and Sanji found himself arching into it as he gasped pitifully around forgotten words. Eventually the near painful need to shut his legs eased and instead he was able to relax minutely and enjoy the tingling spreading through his lower body.

The pulses were now to the point that instead of just drumming across the surface of his skin, he could feel the current reaching down and inside of him. Tugging and pulling on his muscles as it tightened and loosened them at drastic speeds that had his legs feeling cramped and his abdomen twitching under his leaking cock. But the worst by far was the patch on his balls; sending jolt after jolt straight up his cock.

“Oh. Ah – ah. Anh, fuck.” Pleasure rocking him from the inside as the tip drooled uselessly on his stomach in a steady stream that seemed almost impossible. Even after all the flogging Sanji hadn't thought it was possible to get any harder without coming, and yet here he was, gasping and arching into these electric waves that had him speechless and near mindless.

It was only after several moments of trying to get some semblance of control over his breathing that he noticed he was utterly alone in the room. Casting a furtive glance about to make absolutely sure Zoro wasn't watching him from a corner or something before flopping back down on the bed with a needy whine.

Fuck, it was beginning to hurt.

For a moment he wondered how much trouble he'd get into for coming when Zoro wasn't here, but then he noted that if he came then Zoro really couldn't blame him since he hadn't been there to stop him. He just had to make sure Zoro didn't catch him in the act of helping himself.

From how his arms were shackled to the bar between his thighs, his dick was already positioned perfect between them, and it only took a bit of shifting to get it trapped between his forearms. Pressing them tightly together he sighed in relief as the pressure was just enough to relieve some of the strain on his cock. Beginning to writhe as much as his bonds would allow, he began thrusting his hips up to slide his slick cock between the vice of his arms.

It lasted all of a minute before the electrical current to his lower body intensified and he jerked back on the bed, losing complete control of his motor functions as his legs twitched and jerked against his bounds uselessly. Gut convulsing in spasms as his swollen dick fell back to rest on his stomach untouched once again.

A soft tutting from the doorway had Sanji freezing before a deep voice crooned, “Naughty.”

Sanji tried to stifle a whimper but it escaped anyway in the form of a long whine as Zoro approached the bed slowly, thumb clicking a button to ratchet the machine's setting up another notch. Still dressed in just his sweat pants and wife-beater, dick obviously straining against the silk fabric as he watched Sanji with an appreciative stare.

Dropping the remote on the bed Zoro leaned forward to inspect Sanji more closely, smirking devilishly, “You never cease to amaze me with how audacious you are.”

Sanji wasn't sure whether it was a compliment or not, so he opted to not reply at all and instead tried to calm his raging heart beat that had only increased after Zoro had turned the machine up a notch. Everything was numb now but it didn't stop his thighs from twitching and his dick from flopping on his stomach rock solid and needy. The wet, slimy sensation of his forearms touching was a painful remainder to how close he was to coming.

“Mm, you want to come, don't you?” Zoro chuckled, drawing a finger slowly up Sanji's midriff in a teasing line, “I can tell. You're so close you're drooling.”

Another whimper. Not even bothering to hold it back anymore as he shamelessly arched into the touch, craving any bit of sensation that might be enough to tip him over the edge. Pain, dignity, and exhaustion be damned; if utterly submitting would get him release then he would do it.

Free hand smearing through the mess on Sanji's belly he crooned, “You don't even know the mess you made for me.”

Sanji's eyes were already closed, far too overwhelmed to perform such a menial task as seeing, but Zoro clasped a firm hand over them anyway as Sanji distantly heard the rustling of clothing. Beyond the buzzing of the machine between his thighs and his own gasping breathes, it took a moment to discern what the faint sound was above him.

A slick, slurping sound, mixed with the ever-so-slightly labored breathes of his Dom had Sanji realize with arousing clarity that Zoro was jerking off. Sanji's cum soaking his hand as he brought himself to completion over Sanji's writhing, bound body.

Everything was hazy and thick beyond his need to come and desperation to see Zoro to completion. Imagination working futilely to picture Zoro poised above him, working his thick, long cock with perfect strokes. His own jizz leaking from the tip to pool on Sanji's chest.

Fuck, he wanted Zoro to remove his hand from Sanji's vision more than anything else in the world. The pleading words perched on the tip of his tongue before stalling as something else entirely landed on the exposed muscle. It took several long moments between his disorientated senses, the loud buzzing of the machine, and the wrecked grunted noise above him to realize what the salty sensation on his lips and tongue was.

And then that was it.

For the first time in his life he was coming, completely untouched, as every fiber of his being was poured out of him through his dick. Body shuddering and convulsing painfully, unable to retract exactly how he wanted to with the way his legs and hands were bound; forced to bite the sheets in compensation for the pain of his dick, which he desperately wanted to relieve with the grip of his hand.

Eventually it all ceased, but the black spots behind his eyes didn't go away and as he rolled onto his side limply he couldn't help but stare at the wall distantly while everything was spinning. Vaguely in the distance recesses of his conscious he noted Zoro removing the cuffs and spreader bar and his legs were finally allowed to fall closed. But he couldn't feel a thing beyond the numbness that was accosting his body.

Sanji lay on his side boneless, eyes glazed as he could barely note the throbbing throughout his entire body and the blissfully mindlessness that hung over the room like a fog. Everything was completely surreal as even the comforter underneath him ceased to exist beyond a numb pressure against his flesh. It took several moments to realize the pressure on his head wasn't his hair, and was in fact a hand.

Zoro's hand carding soothingly through the strands as muffled sounds echoed in the distance.

Several more minutes passed, and the hand remained before he finally managed to shift his eyes away from the hypnotizing wall and look at the soft, fuzzy features of his boyfriend. At long last the words were discernible, “Sanji, how are you feeling?”

“Like I'm...” Sanji murmured heavily, words feeling thick and foreign on his tongue, “on a cloud.”

“That's good.” Zoro crooned gently, hand brushing through Sanji's hair fondly, “You're in subspace. Just relax and enjoy it and I'll draw us a bath, alright?”

“Mm.” Sanji hummed absently, not entirely sure he heard half the words but trusting that whatever Zoro was going to do was going to be best for them both. “Kay.”

Minutes. Hours. Days could've passed for all Sanji was aware of what was going on around him, as he lay wrapped up in this intensely warm blanket of nirvana. It was like an alcoholic buzz without the nausea. A hit of chronic without the cravings. A tablet of ecstasy without the paranoia. It was simultaneously the best high he had ever had that, but the least real high he had ever had all at once.

Strong arms were suddenly back around Sanji and he was being lifted, or at least that's what it felt like. Things were becoming clearer but Sanji still felt disorientated, and while the floaty sensations were still present it was becoming more and more clear that he was coming back to himself.

A moment later he was being submerged into soothing, hot water that had him moaning appreciatively and effectively began clearing his head. Soon he was fitted up against Zoro's chest in a glorious jet filled tub as large, gentle hands caressed his body reverently under the water.

Soap tickled his chin, low thrumming jets massaged his sore legs, and hot water cleaned him of all the fluids that had accumulated on him in the past hour. Letting his head fall back to rest on Zoro's shoulder he eyed the sharp jawline a bit more clearly than earlier and was pleased to note he was beginning to come back to himself.

“That was insane.” Sanji finally managed weakly, “I didn't even – that was.... Everything just kind of – I don't know... Melted?”

“It's a physiological reaction.” Zoro explained smoothly, hands continuing their work with cleaning and kneading Sanji's legs appropriately, “Your body is undergoing intense pain so it releases large amounts of chemicals to compensate. Once we finish it's essentially like you've been drugged.”

“It felt like when I'd been put under morphine for my back injury.” Sanji noted sleepily, “Everything just shut down.”

“Epinephrine and morphine are very similar.” Zoro conceded absently, but Sanji was already disinterested. He was still recovering his ability to talk and was in no way ready for a chemical biology lesson. Letting his eyes drift shut as he was content in the firm, warmth of Zoro's body enveloping him.

TBC...


	11. The Girl in the Garden Patch

Packing down the soil around the delicate stems of the chrysanthemums, Nojiko pulled back with an accomplished sigh as she took in the luscious flower bed that was now taking on a more proper late spring colouration of flora. A flicker of sadness ached in her chest as she gently reached out to thumb at a petal of the flower; a vibrant citrusy orange that had matched the hair of her missing sister.

Choking back a sob, she pressed the back of her hand to her mouth to keep her lips from trembling, letting out a loud exhale through her nose. It was pointless to cry; it would help no one. And her sister would have wanted her to stay strong even though this had happened to her.

But there was only so much gardening she could do to take her mind off the inevitable. Two of the five kidnapped victims had shown up brutally murdered, slung up or displayed like some demented side show and it seemed like it was only a matter of time before her sister would be one of them. Each day it tormented her, and at night it haunted her. She wanted to pray for her sister's safe return but as the days slipped by so did her waning hope.

Finally in a bit more control of herself Nojiko lowered her hand from her mouth and took a deep breath before pushing herself to her feet. Shaking off pained feelings as she once more promised herself to stay strong for Nami's sake. Picking up her trowel and a small potted tangerine tree she made her way over to the fence bordering the property where the rest of the orange trees from previous years sat.

When Nami did return, Nojiko wanted the garden looking gorgeous for her; something to take her mind off of everything and help her have a semblance of normalcy afterwards. Kneeling down near a spot of turned over soil that had been kept bare for the newest sapling, Nojiko set to work.

The early summer sun was beginning to strengthen and soon she felt the sweat begin to grow on her brow and stinging warmth to the back of her neck. Wiping the back of her hand across her forehead, and casting a glance up at the blue bird sky she tried to take small comfort in the improving weather before turning back to work a bit less burdened.

Making a neat pile of dark, rich soil to her right Nojiko was pleased with the thick, healthy consistency that was sure to adopt the new tangerine sampling perfectly. Palming some of the warm soil as she tossed it aside she couldn't help but preen at how well her composting had done for the loam.

A glint of gold shone through the dirt causing Nojiko's hands to freeze, breath stilling as she cautiously reached out to pull the object free. Dirt clung to it and diminished its true shimmer, but without a doubt it was the same bangle that currently hung from her own wrist - the exact same bracelet that her sister had worn.

The gold ring slipped through Nojiko's numb fingers as panic began to set in over what this could possibly mean. Was it a taunt from the person who had taken Nami? Was it a warning? Perhaps... perhaps Nami had missed placed it in early spring gardening before she had been taken?

With trembling hands she scooped dirt from the hole revealing more of what had been buried along with the gold trinket, nails grating across a hard white surface that had her pulling away from the soil bed with an anguished cry. Tears finally falling for the first time in weeks she buried her face in her dirt smudged hands as she knelt beside the milky bone sticking up from the soil.

~X~

Between the hot bath and the gentle hands that had been kneading the stiffness from his shoulders; it had been inevitable that Sanji had fallen asleep. His last memories were of soap bubbles getting caught in his chin stubble and the next he was nuzzling into a down pillow that was teaching him the new meaning of the word comfort.

Taking an extra-long moment, he cuddled further into the fabric that smelled so thickly of Zoro. The pine infused shampoo that made his hair smell like a thick forest after a heavy rain, a small bit of detergent from a recent wash, and the decadent musk of the man that made Sanji's mouth water. It was a perfect concoction of Zoro's own unique aroma and Sanji was currently basking in a face full of it.

However, the reassuring dip in the bed where Zoro was supposed to be was absent and Sanji groaned as he accepted that his short foray into Zoro's mattress would have to wait. Forcing himself to a seated position he could distantly hear the sound of the shower running down the hall as a resounding stiffness on his rear made him realize that a hot shower would indeed be nice. The Arnica cream had been such a saving grace on his skin, and he was grateful that Zoro always remembered to apply it even if Sanji passed out on him.

Pushing himself to his feet and nearing the window he was greeted with a gorgeous view of the early morning city skyline. Completely disregarding the fact that he was nude, Sanji took in the pink tinting of the horizon as spots of sunlight were already beginning to reflect off the windows of distant apartments. It was a view that Sanji could easily get accustomed to, and made him absently wonder if Zoro had a balcony Sanji could take advantage of and have a smoke.

Dragging himself away from the view, he found his blue hoodie that had been discarded last night in a rush, and pulled it on. Finding his pants and tossing them onto the bed, he also located his backpack that Zoro must have brought into the room last night after he had passed out.

Pulling out his clean boxers, as well as his work pants, he was just beginning to throw all his dirty clothes into the pack when Zoro returned from his shower. Towel slung sinfully low on his waist as water still dripped from his vibrant green hair, the water making it look like spongy forest moss.

Small towel in his hand, he started when he noticed Sanji was no longer in bed before recovering with a gentile smile, “Good sleep?”

“Fantastic.” Sanji grinned, slinging his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie as he noted playfully, “You're up early.”

“Morning workout.” Zoro explained simply, taking the towel to his head vigorously. When he pulled it away his hair stood on end like sharp stalks of freshly mown grass, a much more vibrant green now that it was dry, “I was going to wake you, but you kinda looked like you needed the sleep.”

“Didn't sleep much the other night.” At Zoro's questioning look Sanji waved him off with a careless hand, “Nothing, just a bad dream.”

Zoro seemed to sense that there was more to it that Sanji wasn't revealing, but like always was amazing enough to tell when he shouldn't press an issue. Instead he gave an accepting nod and pulled Sanji close into a warm, yet slightly wet, hug before murmuring, “Sore?”

“Naw,” Sanji shook his head minutely, “That bath did wonders.”

“Ass?”

“My ass is perfect.” Sanji drawled.

“True.” Zoro conceded with a polite nod before pulling away and chuckling at Sanji's antics. Head jerking towards the bedroom door, “Shower's yours if you want.”

“Yeah, that'd be awesome.” Sanji nodded, fully intending to clean the remnants of the Arnica off of himself, “Thanks.”

Zoro made an idle noise of confirmation, already digging through his closet for clothes. Sanji allowed himself one last glorious eyeful of the man's toned back before making his way out of the bedroom and to the bathroom that he hadn't managed to appreciate fully when he had been so spaced the other night.

Gorgeous green and white tiling warmed the entire room, and contrasted the black linoleum floor that made it feel like he was in a forest. Counter top a warm brown marble, with a large full length mirror reflecting the entire bathroom. In the corner the large jet bath sat proudly and beside it was a walk in shower with a sliding glass door.

Shedding his hoodie he quickly stepped in, fiddled with the knobs, before groaning as a cascade of near scalding water began drizzling down his back and tender rear. The nozzle head was angled straight down so it felt like standing under rainfall and he took full liberty of having gotten up early to lounge in the shower for longer than he probably should have.

When he returned to the bedroom it was with slight remorse that he found Zoro had already put his black jeans on, and was just finishing making the bed with a quaint domesticity that Sanji found charming. After tugging on the duvet to make sure everything was straight, Zoro noticed Sanji’s apprising gaze and with an endearing grin asked, “Nice shower?”

“Holy shit, yes.” Sanji gave an approving groan as he pulled off his towel and slung it over the foot board of the bed to dry, shamelessly standing naked as he realized it was probably a very good thing that he had forgotten to take his change of clothes to the bathroom, “You might have a problem getting rid of me.”

“That won't be an issue.” Zoro murmured fondly, though his tone might have something to do with that fact that he was currently taking in Sanji's naked figure with satisfaction. Eyes finally managing to meet Sanji's he asked quickly, “Wanna see what I have planned for tonight?”

“Ooh,” Sanji crooned as he placed his hands on his naked hips proudly, “I'm allowed?”

“Yeah.” Zoro grunted as went over to his dresser and pulled a large box from one of the drawers and made his way over to the bed with it held carefully in hand, “Considering it has a lot to do with our conversation yesterday.”

“Which part?”

“Last night made me realize that you can definitely stand to have your limits stretched,” Zoro explained lightly as he set the shiny black box down on the bed, “And that it's time I took a more influential role in teaching you some obedience.”

Sanji eyed the container with thinly veiled excitement, knowing that whatever was inside of it must have had some level of importance if it garnered its own case. Though Sanji hardly understood what Zoro was intending to do with only an hour until they both had to leave for work. Not that Sanji would at all complain if shown some of Zoro's more treasured toys.

“From now on, as is stated in our contract, the bedroom is my domain.” Zoro clarified with a pointed look, thumbs flicking the latches up with two sharp definitive snaps, “I've let you sass me, talk back, and have free will, but that stops now. The moment you enter either my or your bedroom in my presence you acknowledge that I am the one in control unless stated otherwise before entering. Do you understand?”

Sanji grinned while nodding eagerly, as far as he was concerned he had already been partially playing by those rules, but if Zoro wanted to take them a step further then he was all for it.

“Also, I've decided to take what you said seriously,” Zoro added pleasantly, throwing the lid open to punctuate his final word, “I'm going to really start pushing you, both physically and mentally.”

Heavy lid falling open, Zoro stepped back and let Sanji lean forward to inspect the contents for himself, finding himself less shocked than he originally thought he would be. Inside were several professionally wrapped cords of rope; the fibers a deep meridian blue that shimmered beautifully.

Reaching in, Zoro pulled out a bundle and loosened the wrap on it, letting it unravel in his hands as several strands fell to trail across the floor. Sanji eyed the tantalizing trails of silken blue that wove and slipped from Zoro's hands like water. They looked soft to the touch and he was already itching to see what they would feel like on his skin.

“Are you going to tie me up with it?” Sanji finally managed to ask, hoping he didn't sound grossly over eager but at the same time hardly caring.

“In a way...” Zoro alluded casually as he began to organize the mess of sleek blue rope, Sanji's eyes following the shimmering fibers in interest

“Like?” Sanji prodded eagerly.

“It's called Shibari in Japanese cultures,” Zoro explained casually as he turned to Sanji with the wraps of rope still held prominently in his palm. His free hand coming up to draw a slow, intent line down Sanji's chest and under his pectoral, “It's an art form of tying the body in certain patterns so that the rope follows the natural curves of your body. It is used for modern art purposes, but others use it because it's an enticingly beautiful form of bondage.”

“I-Is that so?” Sanji stuttered lightly, hardly able to care about the tremble in his words as he was more preoccupied with Zoro's hands currently drawing slow, thoughtful lines across his skin. Zoro slowly walked around Sanji, his finger drawing a path across his back as he seemed to be planning out the lines that the rope would follow.

“Mm.” Zoro responded with a small hum, finger leaving Sanji to be replaced with the cord of rope being laced over Sanji's shoulders. Hot, sure hands teased lightly at Sanji's waist before sliding up in a hard caress, coming to rest on his ribs before urging Sanji with words whispered in his ear, “Arms up.”

Swallowing thickly, Sanji followed the order, lifting his arms and watching silently as Zoro set to work with wrapping and tying the strand of rope around Sanji's upper body. Pulling out a few more cords of rope to help assist with the more complicated curves and patterns that he was making the rope follow.

The silken fabric intertwined across his chest in intricate criss-crosses, loops and knots intersecting at certain places so that it indeed looked like a piece of art instead of a bit of bondage rope. Soon his chest was completely covered in the beautiful twisting patterns of the rope and Zoro was moving down his left arm with the remaining bit of rope. After the same amount of care taken to his other arm and his legs he was soon completely covered in the binding blue ropes.

The rope was tightened to the perfect degree which only testified to Zoro's skillful hands as the fabric was loose enough to not risk any circulation loss, but tight enough that the rope bit into his skin with just enough force to border on painfully arousing. As he currently was head to toe in the magnificent ropes he was already letting his mind wander down the intense paths of how exactly Zoro was going to put them to work. There was some rope left so surely the man was planning on tying his hands up, or something else of that sort.

Standing, Zoro took the same amount of time Sanji did to look over Sanji's body in appreciation of his work and how the blue lines currently highlighted his pale skin. The color alone was vibrantly beautiful, but as he extended his arms to get a better look at them and his chest he was in utter awe of how hypnotic and ethereal the patterns appeared on his body. It was ridiculous but the strands made him feel like he was wearing some form of exotic traditional wear.

“Shit...” Sanji gushed softly at Zoro's handiwork, far more impressed with it than he felt he should be, considering it was simply a few pieces of cord. Zoro remained silent, watching Sanji critically while a smug smile played at his lips, clearly happy that Sanji was so impressed by his work. “This is amazing.”

“Glad to hear it.” Zoro murmured, walking forward and carefully eyeing the lines, but not touching.

“So, when are we going to use these?”

“Tonight.”

Sanji's tongue darted out to wet his lips in thinly veiled excitement, “Awesome.”

The ropes were already beginning to bite gorgeously into his skin and was causing a flush of arousal to break out across his face and chest. The blush only furthering to highlight the blue ropes as his cock gave an interested twitch from the rope currently wound around its base. At the time he had been too preoccupied with the artistic value of the ropes, but now that Zoro was finished the erotic side was beginning to show through.

Tongue wetting parched lips he glanced up at Zoro hopefully, perhaps getting a morning hand job or blow for being so obedient and good. His hopes were crushed however from the smug look on the Dom's face as it became apparent that he wasn't going to get anything. It seemed the man really was determined to crack down on his leniency.

“So...” Sanji stalled, plucking at the rope on his wrist petulantly, “Can I take them off now?”

“Nope.” Zoro's smug smile turned into a full on vicious smirk, “Work first.”

“W-What?” Sanji sputtered in confusion, taking in a slightly uneven breath as his arousal throbbed somewhat painfully between his legs; an ever present reminder of the ropes currently binding him, “Sorry?”

A small moue of mock pity graced the Dom's features before a teasing grin worked its way onto his disarmingly charming face, “You're going to keep those on all day, go to work, and when you get home you might get rewarded for your patience.”

“You've got to be shitting me?” Sanji scoffed, eyeing the man up critically. Surely he didn't think Sanji was going to spend the entire day suffering through this erotic torture.

“As hot as I find your disobedience,” Zoro practically purred the words with a sly smirk, “I need to teach you some discipline; number one on that list is that you no longer have a say over your pleasure. I do.”

Sanji nodded numbly, not trusting himself to speak beyond the fact that he might either whine at the pressure the rope was causing on his cock, or if he might break and tell Zoro to fuck him now ‘cause he wasn't sure he would be able to make it to the end of the day. Though, as Sanji met Zoro's eyes, he knew that neither was an option and that he had to go out that door before anything else would happen between them.

“I'm the only one that makes you cum, and you need to learn what it means to earn your orgasm.” Zoro plucked at one of the ropes before turning to pick Sanji's work pants up off the bed and tossing them to the still stunned blond, “Get dressed.”

Pants hitting him in the face, Sanji had a spastic moment fumbling with them before he held them limply in his arms as he watched Zoro busy himself with picking out a shirt for work. A small whine got trapped in Sanji's throat as he faced the inevitability of his situation.

Slipping on his pants with thinly concealed annoyance, he did up the high waisted button and refrained from moaning as it pinched the ropes around his waist just a tad. Picking up his shirt from yesterday he realized a glaring problem with the ropes.

Neither of the shirts he had with him would cover the obvious bumps that the ropes would make with the fabric, so he was very quickly running out of ideas of what he could possibly wear to work that would conceal these ropes. His hoodie would work, but wearing it all day with his Apple Tech shirt over top was going to look weird, not to mention be uncomfortable.

“Hey, do you have any long-sleeved shirts I can borrow?” Sanji asked gesturing vaguely to himself in hopes Zoro would understand without him having to explain his problem.

“Yeah, actually here,” Zoro turned back to his closet, “I got you something.”

“More?” Sanji baulked lightly, thinking back to the other more risqué gift the man had gotten him. “You know, you totally don't have to.”

“Wanted to.” Zoro shrugged before finally grunting in accomplishment and pulled out some folded up fabric, baby blue in colour with black pin stripes running down the length of it. As he made his way over to Sanji he unfolded it to reveal a sleek silk button up, causing Sanji's eyebrow to arch curiously as he wondered if this was part of the whole clothing control that they had discussed about with the booklet.

Zoro swung the blue pinstriped shirt around Sanji's shoulders, letting the blond slip his arms through the sleeves before beginning to do up the buttons for him. Sanji stood quietly, letting Zoro do as he wanted as he fought a small smile that was fighting to get onto his cheeks. There was something rewarding about being clothed by the man, it was a subtle sense of control and ownership that was hot in more ways than one.

The baby blue of the shirt sharply contrasting with the dark ocean blue of the ropes currently wrapped around his body and bit attractively into his pecs. Skin flushed from his earlier arousal, the muscled skin slowly disappeared as Zoro finished doing up the buttons and let his hands fall away for Sanji to quickly do up the cuffs and tuck the shirt into his black work slacks. As he glanced sideways at the full length mirror on the closet door he couldn't help but note that despite never having worn a button up before, he looked damn fucking good in one.

Hugging his body in all the right places, yet still easily hiding the ropes that were underneath and covering his entire body. It fit his shoulders just right and the lengths of the sleeves were practically perfect. Giving the collar a testing jerk to align it properly he was impressed Zoro had managed to buy something for him that fit him so perfectly. The man really did like to excel at whatever he chose to do.

Sanji jumped minutely as Zoro placed his hands on Sanji's midriff, palms pressing through the fabric as he pressed against the ropes underneath. Running his hands up the length of Sanji's torso, Sanji tried to fight back the small whimper at the feeling of the ropes shifting against his skin from Zoro's rough caress, and the way the silk of the shirt skittered across his body as it was pressed into his flushed skin through the gaps in the rope.

Fuck he wasn't even out of the house yet and he was already so turned on by this whole thing.

Zoro curled his arms fully around Sanji to dance his fingers along the rope that was strung up the dip of the blond's spine, chuckling softly as he murmured, “I can't wait to get you out of this later.”

“Funny.” Sanji chuffed breathlessly, “I was thinking the same thing.”

That tore another amused laugh from the man, shoulders shaking as he turned to command hotly in his ear, “No jacking off at work, loosening the ropes, or anything of the sort. I'll know if you do. You need to learn restraint, obedience and patience; so this is how we're going to do it.”

Sanji didn't trust himself to speak, so simply nodded and Zoro seemed to accept that. Pulling away he gave Sanji one final, heated once over before letting go of him entirely. Grabbing his own button up Zoro made for the door, “C'mon. I'll buy us breakfast.”

Zoro didn't pause to wait, and Sanji took the few moments alone to quickly throw his other clothes into his backpack before snatching up his tie. Slinging it over his head and working it under the collar, he adjusted it accordingly and smoothed everything out before finally giving one last look at himself in the mirror. Unable to stop himself, Sanji let out a soundless whistle at how professional he looked.

The shirt and tie added on several years – and not in a bad way – instead of looking like a recently graduated teenager with impressive facial hair; he looked like a debonair gentleman. He'd always been under the impression that suit and tie were only for office jobs and government workers but he was beginning to consider retracting that statement. If this was suave, then he made it look good.

Giving himself a final cocky once over he snatched up his backpack and made his way out for the room to go enjoy breakfast with his boyfriend, pointedly ignoring the pleasant bite of rope against his flesh, hidden so well underneath his clothes.

~X~

The black car smoothly slid to a stop by the southern mall entrance, Zoro throwing the car into park as he momentarily leaned over the console to give Sanji a goodbye kiss. Sanji had gotten used to Zoro's chaste kiss when he dropped Sanji off at work, but what he wasn't used to was a teasing hand sliding around his waist to massage at the ropes roughly and had Sanji moaning into the kiss.

Sanji knew the man was only doing it to work him up, but he couldn't stop himself from leaning into the kiss and enjoying as much as he could before his shift. Lips sucking playfully at Sanji's, he was caught completely off guard as Zoro's hand eventually landed in his lap to give a promising squeeze.

Fingers drawing a teasing line over the line of the zipper before Zoro pulled away with a cheeky grin, “Have a good day at work.”

Sanji floundered for a moment in the passenger seat, trying to locate any vestiges of his sanity, before wrestling himself out of his seat belt and throwing open the door. As he stormed from the vehicle, he could hear the distant laughing of his Dom, and flipped him off over his shoulder as he marched inside.

The walk through the slowly opening mall was awkward, as he took advantage of the lack of morning shoppers to try and adjust himself in his pants. Trust Zoro to get him all riled up in the car just as he had been able to get a handle on the ropes currently bound around him. Finally managing to get his dick tucked at an angle that was convincingly hidden, he rounded the corner into the Apple store.

Weaving his way through the tables of Apple products and to the till on the back wall where Ace was lounging, he sincerely hoped that the ropes weren't going to be noticeable through the shirt. When Ace glanced up from the morning cash in he was doing on the till his eyes widened visibly and Sanji was certain that his worst fears had just been confirmed.

“Dude,” Ace emphasized heavily, “You look like you should be telling me what to do. What's with the monkey suit?”

Sanji held his breath for a moment, realizing slowly that the man was looking at the shirt and not at all at what was underneath said shirt. Breathing out a sigh of relief he chuckled lightly, plucking at the silky blue fabric fondly before glancing up at Ace.

“Gift.” Sanji clarified, “From Zoro.”

A feral grin lit up Ace's face as he propped his hand on his hip and gave Sanji a knowing look, “Uh huh...”

“Shut it.” Sanji scowled, tugging nervously on one of the cuffs and now really hoping that nothing was visible to the man. Ace would be understanding, but he really didn't want to deal with the looks and teasing for the entirety of his shift. Not to mention having to explain exactly what the ropes were for.

“Well, Mr. Fancy,” Ace teased, “Can you watch till for the morning?”

“Yeah, no problem.” Sanji agreed eagerly, relieved at being able to hide behind the counter and not have to deal with customers given his... situation.  Rushing to the back to grab his work shirt, he returned to the till just in time to see Baby enter the store with an Orange Julius in hand.

Looking as flawless as ever with her brown locks done up in a messy bun and dorky gem studded glasses highlighting her gorgeous eyes. Clearly taking advantage of the spring weather as she had opted out of jeans for a flowing skirt, the ruffles fluttering as she skipped up to Ace before handing him the drink.

Sanji raised an interested brow at the exchange, as they chatted amiably for a moment before she pecked him on the cheek and turned to leave. As far as Ace had ever let Sanji believe he and Baby were just casual friends with benefits, but that interaction suggested otherwise. Eyes locking with Sanji's as she turned to leave, she did a double take before swiveling on a polished black pump to make her way over to Sanji.

“Do my eyes deceive me?” Baby crooned as she sauntered over to the counter, “Damn, Sanji-pie. You look good.”

Giving an exaggerated wink with a flash of teeth, he preened, “Why thank you, Baby.”

“Seriously,” She mused in awe, hands coming up to straighten the collar meticulously, completely unaware of the small heart attack Sanji had just under gone as he thought her hands might graze a rope and discover his secret. It was only two minutes into his shift and he already felt strung out, “The shirt adds like five years.”

“It was a gift.” Sanji explained simply, trying to calm his raging heart beat as he promised himself that as soon as their scene that night was finished, Sanji was going to kick Zoro straight in the ass. Regardless of how hot the ropes might be.

“Ah.” Baby mouthed the word in understanding, tapping the side of her nose before pointing at the man knowingly, “Wouldn't happen to be from whomever gave you that hickey last week was it?”

“Maybe.” Sanji shrugged non-committally, enjoying the fuming look of curiosity growing on the woman's face.

“Oh. My. God.” Baby squealed excitedly, propping her elbows on the counter and leaning in conspiratorially, “Who is she – or he? Is it serious? How long has this been going on? Give me details.”

“His name's Zoro,” Sanji offered and at her expectant look continued awkwardly, “He's twenty-eight, owns a physio practice down on East Blue Boulevard, and we met about a month ago.”

“A month?!” Baby balked in outrage, turning a venomous glare to Ace as she clenched her fist threateningly, “That bastard never said anything.”

“Well, I'm sure there were more important things going on...” Sanji alluded playfully, not needing to directly state that they probably had their mouths too full of each other to actually talk about anything else. Let alone the dating lives of their co-workers.

“Still.” She huffed, though her small tirade didn't last long and it took only seconds for her to grin again as she pressed, “So, how serious is it? Must be pretty involved if he's buying you clothes.”

“What about you bringing him a morning OJ?” Sanji jerked his head in Ace's direction, though unable to keep from smiling at truth of her words, “Are you guys getting serious? Should I watch out for wedding invitations?”

“I dunno.” She mused with a fond smile, “It was a fun occasional hook-up, but lately we've been just hanging out, and it's... it's nice.”

“Well, it's good for him,” Sanji urged, “Maybe finally settling down and dating for a bit.”

“Maybe.” Baby shrugged innocently, casting a glance around her as she noticed the store beginning to fill up with morning customers. “Ugh, I should probably go open shop now.”

“Probably.” Sanji agreed, pulling on his blue Apple Tech shirt and pulling out his head set to get ready for the long eight hours ahead of him.

“Don't think this conversation is over!” She warned playfully, “I fully intend to get the whole story out of you.”

Sanji chuckled lightly at her intent, waving her off, “See ya Baby.”

~X~

As the day wore on it was becoming harder and harder to ignore the zipper that was causing a permanent imprint on his dick from the lack of relief. Eventually, the only way he could compensate was to stand oddly attentive at the front counter with his hips pressed into the ledge to provide some pressure to help take the edge off. If he made it through to closing without jizzing his pants it would be a damned miracle.

After floundering through an iPhone sale he finally gave in to his need to take breather without the prying eyes of the clientèle nearby. Hurriedly making his way over to where Ace was flitting through his Facebook on one of the many counter computers.

“H-Hey.” Sanji paused as the word caught in his throat in his distress, and he quickly coughed to cover it up as he continued, “Ace?”

“Yeah?” The brunette glanced over quickly, eyeing Sanji down before asking, “What ya need?”

“Cover for me for a few?” Sanji requested quickly, “Bathroom.”

“Sure.” Ace shrugged, turning back to the computer aimlessly, “Take your time; it's not busy.”

Sanji nodded jovially as he tried to make his way into the back room as inconspicuously as possible, though he was pretty sure he was bringing more attention to himself by trying to act suave. As soon as he was beyond the door to the staff room he all but bolted to the bathroom.

As soon as he managed to close the door behind him he immediately slumped against the cool surface as he felt his knees tremble dangerously as the ropes bit a little tighter thanks to the angle. The ropes that had been so innocently draped across his body this morning were now practically an erotic cage branded into his skin that he couldn't escape. He had in no way been prepared for how testing they would be.

Fumbling hand reaching up, he locked the door before giving himself the resolve to stand and make his way over to the sink, looking himself over in the mirror. In all honestly, you couldn't really tell that anything was causing him distress, aside from the fact that his cheeks were a little flushed, but that could easily be written off as spring heat. However despite his calm outward demeanor, Sanji was falling apart on the inside as he was beginning to have his limits tested.

What annoyed him the most was that it wasn't entirely the ropes fault that he was so fucking horny at the moment; it was almost entirely Zoro's. Just the thought that Zoro had enough control over him to make him do something like this was possibly the most erotic thing about the situation. Not even the rope grasped around his cock was erotic enough to stand up to the fact that Zoro was in control of him.

Twisting on the cold water, he let the stream of fall into the sink for a few moments before scooping up a handful and splashing it into his face in hopes of getting a hold of himself. After the third time he remained with his hands clasped over his face, distantly feeling some water trickling down his neck and wrists. Some of the water managing to sneak under the cuffs and get caught by the very present ropes.

Groaning and lowering his hands, he shook them out before grabbing a paper towel to dry himself off. Meeting his reflection in the mirror he did look a bit less flushed, though he still didn't feel entirely capable of walking out of the door just yet. Eyes still locked with his reflection, he found himself practically glaring himself down as his fingers inched towards his pocket.

Ashamed gaze falling away he gave in and pulled his phone from his pocket, bringing up Zoro's number. Only hesitating a moment before hitting 'dial'. It rang three times, and they were possibly the most drawn out and loaded rings of Sanji's short life.

“Roronoa here.” Zoro clipped shortly down the line, his professionalism not fooling Sanji for a moment since he knew the man had caller ID. Distantly he could hear the jumble of several voices, as well as an echo-y effect and assumed the man must've been in the gym at the physio clinic. Part of him felt bad for bugging the man at work, but he rationalized that if Zoro truly wasn't busy he could either have not picked up, or could just hang up on Sanji now.

“Cut the crap.” Sanji squawked, refraining from groaning down the line when his voice cracked. “You know it's me.”

“Hey.” Zoro's tone was casual, almost too fucking casual, as it seemed he was probably thoroughly enjoying the fact that Sanji had given in and called him, “What's up?”

“Oh, you know...” Sanji mused, focusing on the intricate ceiling tiles in hopes to stave off his desire to punch the condescending jerk in the face, “The sky. Stock points. Aaaaaand my dick.”

Zoro scoffed quietly and the sound on the other end of the phone faded as it seemed the man was leaving the gym to talk somewhere more privately. Sanji took that as a liberty to keep talking.

“Seriously, I've been sporting a half chub since this morning.” Sanji groaned, “These ropes are driving me insane, and it's affecting my overall ability to think.”

“Hm.” Zoro hummed thoughtfully, “Well, you can remove the ropes whenever you want. You always have the right to opt out of a scene if you are uncomfortable.”

“I'm sensing a but...”

“What do you think?” Zoro asked pointedly.

“If I end the scene now, that means it is ended for the entire day, huh?” Sanji offered rhetorically, not even needing an answer to know it was true.

“Exactly.”

Sanji huffed petulantly, static crackling down the line before he muttered, “Alright.”

Zoro was silent for a while, though whether he was busy with work or thinking of what to say to Sanji, he could hardly guess. After what seemed like far too long a pause Zoro continued.

“I warned you this morning that I'm gonna start testing your limits.” Zoro supplied, and Sanji could practically hear the grin coming down the line, “Are you seriously going to back down from a small challenge?”

“Hell no.” Sanji huffed indignantly.

“Good.” Zoro said simply, as though it wouldn't matter either way to him if Sanji gave in or not.

What a jackass.

“Think of how worth it, it'll all be.” Zoro purred, the words flicking into Sanji's ear, “When I finally get my hands on you; I promise I'll reward you for your obedience.”

Sanji could hear himself swallow in the back echo of his phone.

“Don't tell a part of you isn't enjoying it though?” Zoro crooned teasingly, “I know you like pain. I know you like being bound. I bet every time you move and those ropes pinch ever. So. Slightly... Your dick's leaking because of it.”

Placing a hand on the counter to steady himself, Sanji shut his eyes and tried to not growl at the fact that the man was so right. He was enjoying it, he was enjoying the hell out of it. But being stuck out in public and having to endure it was really beginning to wear on him. Not to mention this was probably the longest time he had ever went when being forced into orgasm denial.

“I'm right, aren't I?” Zoro gloated down the line, clearly taking Sanji's silence as acceptance.

“Ugh.” Sanji grunted, “I loathe you.”

“I know.” Zoro chuckled fondly, and as the man hung up Sanji tried not to dwell on the way the man had seen through his words so simply. Or the fact that he even wasn't entirely sure what the meaning really was behind his false words. Slipping his phone back into his pocket and trudging out of the bathroom, he tried to brace himself for the day ahead.

It couldn't end soon enough.

When Sanji exited the back room, after taking another few minutes to try and calm his raging erection, he was greeted once more by Ace whom was now playing Tetris. Sometimes Sanji wondered how the man managed to get promoted in the first place, but he couldn't deny the man's salesmanship. Given a client and fifteen minutes he could charm anyone into buying practically anything in the store.

Groaning as he ran out of space and flunked the game, he closed the window and turned to Sanji with a grin, “Hey, by the way, I talked to Ed for you. He's actually pretty stoked you want to get a degree and try for a higher position. Got you elected into pretty special designer program.”

It took Sanji a couple moments to register what his boss was talking about, his mind still off in far more inappropriate territory, before remembering the conversation they had held the other day. Breaking out into a grin he managed, “Shit, are you serious?”

“Yeah.” Ace grinned, pulling his phone out from his pocket and typing casually as he continued, “He's always been impressed with your repair work even though you had no formal training. So he pulled some strings and got you in. Here, I'm sending you the link right now.”

Sanji's phone buzzed lightly in his pocket, and he pulled it out to look at what Ace had just sent him.

“That's the program he thinks you'd mostly benefit from.” Ace gestured vaguely to the link he had just messaged Sanji. “He got you out of some first year courses due to your experience, but the rest you're going to have to endure like any other University graduate. It's still one hell of a program though, usually really hard to get into without references or amazing grades.”

“No man, this is awesome.” Sanji grinned thumbing through the program synopsis, “I was expecting to have to start from the bottom and have to redo my high school Math 11 or something like that.”

“Naw. You know Ed takes care of his own; he's been sulking for years that you didn't want to go any further in the company.” Ace chuckled at Sanji's dead panned expression before continuing, “But yeah, sign up for the program now, pay tuition, and you can start the summer semester next month.”

“Seriously, Ace. Thank you.” Sanji implored, freezing as he realized he couldn't pull the man in for a hug and instead opted for a much more awkward comraderic punch to the shoulder, “This means a lot.”

“It's my pleasure.” Ace grinned, “I'm stoked I could help. You've been shirking your abilities here for too long anyway, it's about time you started pulling your weight.”

“Stuff it, Portgas.” Sanji scoffed light heartedly, “We both know I could slack all day and still get more done than you.”

“That's why they pay me the big bucks,” Ace winked as he meandered away from the till, “I hire good staff.”

Sanji just rolled his eyes and turned back to the Red Line University website and continued to browse the program and its classes with dawning excitement.

~X~

There was a large lull in activity in the store near the end of the day, and it had left Sanji with absolutely nothing to do as the few customers that were still in the store were already being helped. The after lunch rush had thankfully been able to keep him busy enough to distract from the ropes, but now that he was unoccupied the ropes had caught his interest once more.

Leaning against the counter, he absently fiddled with one of the loops that was near his wrist, the small opening a left over bend in the rope from when Zoro had been tying up his wrists. It was perfectly constructed not to tighten, nor loosened and he wondered if they were meant to be used as make shift chain links to bind his wrists together.

It made him wonder about how Zoro had explained it that morning, and how many different options there were to this type of bondage. He knew he really wasn't supposed to be looking at porn at work, but it was slow and no one would notice as long as he didn't let it show on his face.

Pulling up Google and typing in what he guessed was the proper spelling for the odd Japanese word Zoro had used to describe the bondage, he was soon bombarded with several images that were definitely not work appropriate. Tacking on the word 'art', the search became much more timid as he began flipping through the pictures.

Zoro was certainly right about it being an art form. Some of the pictures and the ways the bodies were displayed with the rope were beyond erotic and simply beautiful. The knots alone on some of the bodies put the ropes on Sanji to shame. Not that Sanji's weren't beautiful, but it was clear from the spiderweb like effect on some, or the tree root like style on others that this was something people had practiced to the point of perfection.

Continuing to flip through the art folder he almost completely lost track of where he was until a throat was cleared rather pointedly. Shutting his phone off as casually as possible, Sanji glanced up lazily, already knowing the type of customer before he even laid eyes on them, though he hoped the customer hadn't seen what he had been looking at.

“Um, excuse me, sir?” From the tone alone he knew it would be a nosy elderly woman, hair styled a decade too late and gaudy makeup that made you want to cringe.

Forcing on a charming grin so as not to garner anymore unwanted complaints from the woman he asked, “Yes, how can I assist you?”

“Well,” She snapped disapprovingly, pointing a dramatic, long nailed finger over at the Kids Center where Ace was currently playing a racing game. Seated on the small stool his knees were practically at his ears while he jerked the iPad sharply to the left in vain attempt to help him win, “Your employee over there is slacking off.”

It took every iota of will power Sanji had not to laugh aloud, and an even larger amount of restraint to keep from grinning triumphantly at the woman. Getting a sale was nothing compared to when he got to tell of a condescending customer off when they were clearly in the wrong.

Smothering down every urge he had to give her a cheeky grin, he managed in what he hoped was a monotone voice, “That's my manager ma'am.”

Her entire demeanor shrivelled as she cast a disbelieving glance over at Ace whom had finally given up and was currently standing to leave the games. His manager badge quite clearly displayed on his chest as he wandered over to a customer and began chatting amiably about the new desktop Macs they had gotten in.

Turning a sour look to Sanji, the woman scowled in embarrassment before storming off, clearly knowing nothing else she could say that could save herself. Once she was well out of hearing range he finally allowed himself a rewarding chuckle at being able to tell the woman off. It seemed the shirt really did make him look like he was supposed to be the one telling Ace what to do.

Smirking quietly to himself he pulled his phone back out and browsed through some more of the photos before getting a cheeky idea. Saving one of the more inappropriate photos into his phone, he brought up Zoro's number and texted him the photo, with the added caption;

Are you going to be tying me up like this?

Sanji sent the teasing text, and tried to muffle a laugh as he looked down at the photo of the muscular man, tied up from the rafters and being slowly fucked from behind. Aside from a sex swing, Sanji had never known there were other forms of levitate sex, but he was damn well interested now.  
A moment later Sanji's phone vibrated;

Some day.

Zoro replied cryptically. Woefully not elaborating on the subject, but Sanji was already filling the void with potential fantasies of what it would be like to be strung up and fucked by his Dom. Like some of the more inappropriate pictures of the ropes being used like a sex swing to rock the person into each stellar thrust.

Tease ;P

Sanji responded playfully.

You really want to bring teasing into this?

Zoro quipped dryly. Sanji knew he was playing with fire by goading his Dom, but he couldn't help himself from taunting the man as he responded smugly;

I'm all for it if you are ;)

It took a few moments before Zoro responded but when he did, he knew Sanji had probably just screwed himself over in the long run.

Our scene starts the moment you enter my apartment. Don't be late.

Zoro didn't respond after that.

~X~

As Sanji made his way down the sidewalk towards the bus stop, he was fully beginning to realize just much worse the ropes were when he had to walk a far distance instead of just stand behind a counter. Every time he lifted a leg, a cord would bite teasingly into the back of his thigh, or when he bent his knee they would constrict heavily around his calf to the point of painful. Not to mention every labored breath only forced the ropes to squeeze tightly across his chest.

When he finally managed to get to the bus stop he was breathing heavily for an entire different reason than being simply out of breath. He'd gone from mildly hard, to erect in a matter of minutes and he couldn't wait to get home and finally be relieved, whether it was sexually or to just simply take the ropes off.

He could hardly believe he had managed to make it the whole day without accidentally rubbing off in his pants, or simply giving in and taking the ropes off. But every time he considered it, Zoro's words of challenge rung in his ears forcing him to fight through it.

The bus ride through downtown was awkward, crowded, and more than a little testing as the jerks and weaves of the bus had the ropes twisting in odd directions, and tugging almost painfully when the automotive hauled to a stop. By the time he had reached his stop, he fumbled from the bus weak kneed and shaking.

Managing to get down the block to the apartment complex and buzzing through the front door, he was soon on the elevator going to the twentieth floor. Taking a moment in the empty silence, Sanji adjusted himself shamelessly in his pants and straighten his hair so he didn't look entirely a mess. When the elevator dinged, Sanji was out and rounding on Zoro's apartment door a moment later. Knocking aggressively on the smooth surface as he was too high strung to wait much longer or be polite with his entrance.

The moment Sanji heard the dead bolt click, he didn't even bother to wait and stormed into the foyer, his manners and gentlemanly behavior was currently forgotten in lieu of his need to find and strangle Zoro with these damned confining ropes. It was with spiteful realization that Zoro was smiling smugly at Sanji's impatient burst into his apartment, arms crossing casually over his chest as he watched Sanji with a calm, unreadable gaze.

Standing in front of Zoro he didn't dare make a move, remembering idly that the moment he had entered Zoro's domain he had crossed the boundary between freewill and compliance. Making a motion to undress, speak, or even move could spell his own doom and have Zoro refuse to deal with the ropes. Sanji's only option was to respectfully await Zoro's decision, despite wearing sweat pants and looking like he was about to lounge on the couch and watch TV rather than pleasure his sub.

However, it didn't stop his knees from trembling dangerously from the painful pressure around his throbbing cock, and it hardly kept him from panting pitifully as he stared up at Zoro pleadingly. Despite his disheveled appearance and pained expression, Zoro remained standing casually in the foyer, dark eyes roaming over his mussed state approvingly as he seemed to delight in taking in every aspect of Sanji's tortured frame.

“Good boy.” Zoro crooned lightly when he seemed adequately pleased with Sanji's resolve, a hand beckoning him forward casually.

Sanji literally stumbled over his own feet in his rush to obey, catching himself and straightening his stance as he came to a stop in front of Zoro. Not touching him, but standing as close as possible while eagerly awaiting whatever Zoro had in store for him. He was practically a puppy sitting near his master's feet, shaking in excitement over the prospect of potentially getting a treat.

“You look a bit flushed.” Zoro commented idly, hand coming up to gently caress Sanji's chest, pressing through the fabric of his shirt and trailing a finger down one of the ropes hidden underneath. The fact that Zoro remembered where each of the ropes still were was far more arousing than it should've been, and Sanji found himself biting back a moan. “Is everything alright?”

Sanji only nodded, not trusting his parched throat as his clenched hands tightened and his nails bit into his palms as he willed himself not to move or collapse. Dick throbbing painfully in his pants, there was probably going to be a permanent zipper outline stamped into the skin from now on.

Zoro's finger followed the path of one of the ropes, down and around, twisting and arching until he stopped just above Sanji's hip, catching Sanji's pleading gaze with a dark look before lifting the rope ever so gently with the crook of his finger. As the rope lifted the tender skin underneath was flushed with blood and began tingling with the return of the circulation. Almost itchy in sensation before Zoro released the cord and it sank back into place as Sanji let slip a whine from the back of his throat.

“I trust they weren't too tight?”

“No.” Sanji groaned heavily, his voice dropping an octave and rumbling in his chest desperately, “They were perfect.”

“Naturally.” Zoro intoned with haughty grumble and a roll of his eyes, stepping away from Sanji completely and making his way for the bedroom, crooking his fingers over his shoulder, “Come.”

It was the biggest mixture of annoyance and arousal when dealing with the smug, bored way Zoro talked to him in situations like this. His confidence in his abilities was cocky and borderline condescending, always so sure that he had done everything perfect and that his work was flawless. By all rights it should have annoyed Sanji to the point of scoffing and walking away, but having the man – his Dom – have that sort of confidence when handling him and being that absolute in knowing what he was doing was actually the biggest turn on.

Just knowing that without a doubt Zoro was skillful enough in his abilities to be able to tie him up, or choke him, or flog him, and never have the ropes be too tight that he'd lose circulation, or gag him to the point of asphyxiation, or potentially whip him too deep… It was arousing beyond belief. So, despite Zoro's cocky nature, Sanji hurriedly followed him, not even bothering to be annoyed with Zoro's condescension and instead look forward to what was going to happen next.

In the bedroom the remainder of the blue ropes sat on the bed, their box set neatly to one side in the corner Sanji noted as he neared the bed, with Zoro closing the door gently behind them. Standing quietly at the foot of the bed he watched as Zoro pulled free a single black flog from the shelf along with a black silk cloth from one of the many drawers before finally nearing the bed as well.

Tossing the items on the bed, Zoro pulled Sanji in close by a hand cradling the back of his neck and pressed the lightest of kisses to Sanji's lips, just playfully sucking as his dexterous fingers quickly set to work unbuttoning the constricting button up. When Sanji tried to lean in and eagerly deepen the kiss, Zoro simply leaned away with a small tutting noise before continuing worshipping Sanji's lips with gentle suckles.

Holding back an impatient whine he returned the slow, languorous kiss as he hoped that the whole evening wasn't going to go as slow as this. Any more time spent waiting and he might just pass out from having no blood in any part of his body aside from his dick for such an extended period of time.

Shirt finally unbuttoned and tie loosened, they were tossed aside carelessly as Zoro swiftly undid Sanji's pants, urging Sanji to step out of them until he was once more naked in the middle of the man's bedroom in nothing more than these ropes. Zoro groaned approvingly at the sight Zoro stepped in close, kiss deepening as his hands began roving over Sanji's body. Clearly touching Sanji as he had wanted to that morning when he had first put the ropes on the blond: gripping his thighs, squeezing his ass, sliding up his torso reverently before dipping back down once more. Each time his fingers slid between the gaps in the rope to dig into the skin desperately as the palms of his hands would massage the rope deeper into Sanji's skin. Sanji exhaled sharply through his nose as the rough touches to his sensitive skin were causing him to involuntarily jerk and arch with each caress.

He had no idea that after a day of simply having the ropes sitting against his body would make the skin and muscle underneath so incredibly tender. But it seemed it had been what Zoro had wanted all along as he took great liberty in drawing more embarrassing noises and movements from the blond before finally releasing him.

Looking over Sanji approvingly, each red line caused by the ropes or tremble in his over exerted body had something crackling intensely in his eyes. Sanji swallowed slowly as the saliva pinched his parched throat painfully, and he was beginning to become light headed from the arousal. Everything was becoming distantly surreal as his hands were beginning to feel cottony, and he wondered if it was even possible to enter subspace before he had even managed to come.

“Turn around.” Zoro mumbled softly, his words drawing Sanji back to reality as he blinked away the odd moment of heaviness to do as bid. His arms were pulled behind him with gentle guidance as a strand of rope was fed through the loops Sanji had noticed earlier at work, and then was cinched tight; effectively cuffing Sanji's hands behind his back.

When he finished, there was a moment when Sanji waited with quietly to see what else the man wanted to do to him, but he was met with only the quiet rustling of clothes. Casting a glance over his shoulder he watched with bated breath as Zoro slowly stripped in front of him. The shirt being the first thing removed with a long, sinful arch to the man's body before the article was tossed aside needlessly. Eyes scanning over the gorgeous expanse of tight, corded muscle before him, Sanji revelled in the barrier finally being taken down.

Zoro had a thing for keeping his clothes on during a scene much longer than he should, but it was the perfect device to maintain a large portion of dominance over the situation; and Sanji couldn't deny there was something undeniably hot about how inferior it felt to be the only one naked while being dominated.

Thumbs hooking in the elastic waist of the black sweatpants, Zoro paused for a moment to enjoy the way Sanji's eyes were locked to the skin slowly being revealed. When he seemed content enough with Sanji's patience he dropped the trousers in one swift movement revealing the tight, black jock strap concealing the prize Sanji desperately wanted to see.

It was easily the closest that Sanji had ever seen Zoro naked, and it was doing major things to Sanji's already stretched thin libido. Biting his lip and clenching his bound hands he stared unabashedly at Zoro's thick, yet tragically, still concealed cock, wanting nothing more than to finally get his hands on it, or tongue, or maybe even finally getting the pleasure of taking it fully.

“You will be rewarded for your obedience today.” Zoro informed Sanji roughly, “On your knees.”

Sanji followed the order and was barely seated before Zoro was slipping a silk blind over his eyes and tying it off behind his head snugly. Kneeling in the room entirely in the dark, Sanji was suddenly a little nervous despite the arousal flowing through him. Hands tied behind his back fidgeting nervously as he prepared himself for whatever Zoro had in store.

A warm, reassuring grip suddenly cradled Sanji's chin and a thumb caressed his cheek in a comforting gesture of reassurance. Sanji let himself melt into the hand, knowing Zoro was standing just in front of him, maybe not blind, but just as laid bare as Sanji currently was. Regardless that Zoro was the Dom, they were both currently involved in this scene and were just as emotionally and physically tied to it as the other.

Letting out a relieved breath, Sanji felt remarkably better as he heard distant movement and then the smooth leather strands of a flog were drawn across Sanji's cheek in a gentle stroke. Sanji shuddered at the contact, wondering if Zoro was planning on using the flog as well as keep him bound in these ropes, it might almost be too much if Zoro did follow through.

As the flog passed by Sanji's mouth, he let his tongue loll out to lick lightly at the offered leather and was rewarded by distantly hearing the sharp inhale of breath from Zoro above him. Feeling emboldened, Sanji glided his tongue further along the leather before lipping at a strand and eventually sucking one of the strands into his mouth and biting it playfully.

A broken sound, like nothing Sanji head ever heard from the man before was ripped from somewhere in his throat and the flog was pulled from his mouth and tossed somewhere behind him. Two strong hands were suddenly in his hair, carding and stroking in needy motions that had Sanji curling into them as a hot mouth was placed over his.

The kiss was brutal and needy – nothing like the gentle, reassuring one from before – as Zoro really seemed to have lost control for a moment. Taking and devouring Sanji's mouth like it was the only thing he wanted in the world, the only thing he needed to keep himself calm. When he finally pulled away Sanji could hardly breath and Zoro was panting inches away from his lips.

“Change of plans. You're going to take me.” Zoro commanded roughly, though a hint of softness belied the order, “Okay?”

Sanji nodded numbly, not entirely sure what the man meant by take, but willing to receive anything the man wanted to give. Tipping his head up eagerly as he felt the man withdraw to return to his standing position. There was the faint sound of rustling and then something smooth and soft was pressed to his lips gently.

It took a moment to realize what it was before gasping far more excitedly than he should have before dipping his head forward to suck eagerly at the tip. Hardly believing he was finally getting a taste of what Zoro's cock was actually like, though sadly unable to see it.

Though he could imagine it. The weight of it on his tongue was more than enough to supply his imagination with how it would look. Thick and round with that engorged vein on the bottom running up the length of it, long and curved perfectly as it was as tan as the rest of the man. The head a perfect pink as Sanji gave another teasing suck to the top before dropping his head down to envelope more of it.

It was amazing though, being able to service the man down here on his knees. Hands bound as his sole purpose was to just pleasure his Dom. Though, he wanted to do more. He wanted to be able to see so he could watch what he was doing and make sure each thrust of his head was aligned perfectly, wanted his hands free so he could grip the man's hips and steady him to make sure his body wouldn't rock away with each dip of his mouth.

But it was enough here and now. Just being able work and bob his head greedily and take as much of the man into him as he currently could. The thick head pushing occasionally at the back of his throat leaving a salty tang that had him pulling away and gagging for breath before diving back down. It had actually been far too long since he had given oral, and embarrassingly he wasn't as used to it as he had once been.

Zoro didn't seem to mind though, hands tangling in his hair as he guided Sanji on and using his grip to even out Sanji's timing. Hearing the breathy, needy grunts from above him was like nothing else Sanji had ever experienced. Always so in control and never breaking, to hear evidence that his abilities were making his Dom fall apart piece by piece above him was a reward all on its own.

After being pulled particularly deep, Sanji tried a tentative swallow to see if he could still do it and was reward by the Dom's dick twitching in his mouth. A splash of precome painted his mouth as Zoro's gripped tightened to near painful levels as a clearly unauthorized whine slipped passed his lips.

“Enough.” Zoro managed scratchily, voice worn thin as he coughed heavily and tried once more in a more commanding tone, “Enough.”

Sanji pulled away regretfully, trying not to pout at the fact that man didn't let him bring him through to the end. Hands once more cradled his face reverently, as his Dom dropped to a knee and pressed a chaste kiss to his swollen lips.

“Fuck, you make me break sometimes.” Zoro growled fondly, and Sanji could picture the man shaking his head in self-berating exasperation before chuckling, “You're infuriatingly hard to keep level headed around.”

Sanji wanted laugh and grin at the man triumphantly, but he could only let out a small exhalation of humor and nodded as he was still bombarded with the feeling of his Dom's dick on his tongue. Pulled to his feet, he let Zoro guide him blindly through the room before he felt the edge of the bed at the back of his thighs.

Pushed back on the bed, Sanji allowed himself to sprawl across the soft covers, the cotton a lovely break from the coarseness of the ropes. Everything was still black, but he managed to move back until he felt he was most likely in the middle of the bed before his ankle was taken up in a sharp grip and he was tugged forward sharply. Falling to his back as he felt something behind looped through the rope at his ankle before being tied taut.

The same treatment was given to his other ankle before he felt the bed dip as Zoro straddled his hips innocently. A free strand of rope fell across Sanji's chest as his wrists were taken up in a sure grip. A tender kiss was placed to the inner skin before the rope that had bound them behind his back was undone only to be immediately roped and bound to the head board, with his last free appendage following a moment later. Now completely blind and bound to the bed he couldn't do anything but hand himself over the man currently on him.

“I was nice in the beginning.” Zoro explained softly, his mouth materializing at Sanji's ear as his hands teasing worked their way down the blond's stretched out body. Thumbing at the rope pressed painfully to the underside of his throbbing dick as he explained gently, “I let you have some free will. But now you need to start learning who exactly is in charge here.”

As Zoro cinched the rope taut, perfectly cutting of the remaining circulation to his throbbing cock, Sanji hissed as a hand tangled in his hair and his head was wrenched back. Zoro was towering over him, lips inches from Sanji's own as he breathed out in warning, “Your free will is slowly deteriorating.”

Lips pulling away, Sanji shivered as his bound cock could only feebly jerk at the hot words.

“Think of these ropes; like they're me.” Zoro murmured gently against Sanji's skin, a single finger drawing along one of the silken cords, “I'm on you, I enclose you, I bind you. You wear me on your skin everywhere you go, yet no one else can see me. Yet you feel me. Rubbing, biting, binding. Owning. Your freedom is an illusion; just like how you tricked everyone today into thinking you weren't actually being controlled by me.”

Sanji shivered needily, the thick salty taste of Zoro still lingering on his tongue as he twisted on the bed sheets to try and ease the ache of his throbbing cock and arch up into the hot body he knew was only inches away from his own. He needed the contact, needed the approval, needed Zoro to bring him to completion like only he could. Like only he was allowed to do.

“Yet...” Zoro mused, his voice reaching Sanji from somewhere near the foot of the bed as a large hand was placed on his midsection securely. Calloused fingers reached through the gaps in the rope to caress against his skin, the rough barbs scratching across his quivering abs as the only thing that currently existed in Sanji's sensory range was that single hand on him.

Another hand joined its brother, drawing up his thigh slowly and Sanji twitched in shock though it did little good since the rope at his ankle was keeping his leg from moving. Hands shifting to cradle Sanji's waist he was suddenly aware of a weight at the base of the bed, and then a raspy voice continued heavily, “I guess I do owe you a reward for being so good. Keeping those ropes on...”

Sanji's hips arched instinctively, body writhing minutely as he bit his lip against eagerly begging for the reward. Whatever it was going to be would be amazing; he knew that for sure. But it didn't stop him from craving it greedily in his arousal. Though all his hopes and fantasies couldn't have prepared him for the shock of Zoro dipping his head and following through on his promised reward.

“HOLY. FUck--” Sanji choked out, completely unprepared for how unequivocal it would feel when the man finally took him into his mouth. Not expecting, not knowing, and now there was a slick rush of warmth so intense he couldn't help but buck his hips up into it.

Jerking desperately up into the velvety warmth of Zoro's mouth he was reminded of the ropes currently restraining him, thighs twitching against the tight binds around his ankles that kept him pinned. Twisting his hands to wrap around the rope trailing from his wrists to the head board, he pulled on them as his body tried to arch with the pleasure despite being so thoroughly bound.

Initial sensation fading slightly, he was able to loosen his grip on the ropes a bit and relax minutely to focus more solely on the intent mouth currently taking him even deeper. The hot molten press of Zoro's tongue pinned to the underside of his cock gloriously had his arms flexing, the ribbed ridges of the roof of his mouth skating over the top of his dick had him whimpering, and the silky buttery sensation of the head of his cock sliding down the back of his Dom's throat had crying out loud.

The sharp press of Zoro's nose into his lower abdomen had Sanji realizing Zoro had fully deep throated him, and as the man pulled away only to repeat the motion with more vigor, it had Sanji tugging on the ropes enough to cause the headboard to creak. Another several perfect bobs of Zoro's head, and Sanji was near tears with how close he was, which was why he let out a sob when the Dom fully removed his mouth.

“All perfectly tied up and laid out for me.” Zoro crooned as he paused, lips still pressing to the tip lightly, “I could do anything I wanted to you right now.”

Sanji choked back a sob. As much as it would be entertaining, he didn't want anything from the man. He just wanted to come. He had been aroused and throbbing since nine in the morning, and after nearly ten hours of waiting he wanted nothing more in the world that to just finally have release.

“I could flog you?” Zoro offered, pressing a chaste kiss to the head of Sanji's cock, “Maybe spank you a bit? Or how about plug you up and make you wait for me before I finally give in and just fuck you?”

Sanji shook his head vigorously, not noticing he was crying until the dampness of the blind began to stain his cheeks. All of it sounded amazing, but he wanted none of it. He just wanted to come. He would officially give up everything and any opportunity just to have Zoro bring him to completion in this moment, opportunities be damned.

“No?” Zoro intoned with mock shock, “Really?”

Nodding disorientedly while working down a painful swallow, he nearly cried out in relief when Zoro shrugged and took him back down after muttering, “Very well.”

It took seconds between Zoro dipping his head to envelope Sanji once more, and his free hand loosening the ropes around Sanji's choked dick and he was coming. Head thrown back as he practically screamed his relief into the ceiling, arms straining as they tugged on the ropes binding his wrists, hips pinned to the bed as Zoro held him down to swallow every last drop of his release.

His muscles ached with the constant strain they had undergone, his throat was parched from his constant gasping for elusive air, and his skin tingled from the ropes that had been cutting into him all day. Everything within his body was convulsing and shaking as he tried to get a hold of himself, but none of it mattered beyond the glorious tension that had just oozed from him. Despite his quivering body, he was just content to lay back and relax as Zoro's perfect mouth continued to lightly suck and kiss at his slowly softening dick.

“That – That was amazing.” Sanji managed through gasping breaths, trying to catch his breath despite how much he revelled in finally being given the release he had so desperately desired. Yet, regardless of how amazing it felt to finally cum, it still didn't feel like enough; it was like his body still craved more after having waited so long.

Suddenly Zoro was there, right on top of him with his naked body pressed flush against Sanji's. Hand pressed into the pillow by his head, as the other gripped Sanji's hip promisingly, though still painfully separated by all the ropes covering Sanji.

“We're just getting started...”

TBC...


	12. TICK TOCK

“Woooah, fuck.” Sanji cursed softly as another line of rope slackened on his hip, falling away to be replaced by a timid kiss from Zoro's chapped lips. Blood rushing back into the previously bound flesh with painful tingles as a gust of moist air from Zoro's parted lips had him shivering involuntarily and arching his body.

Zoro's thumb replaced his lips, rubbing circulation back into the reddened skin as he chuckled softly, “Okay?”

“Yeah, shit...” Sanji cursed gruffly, his voice coarse after an hour spent crying out far worse obscenities thanks to the man currently untying him.

Sanji hadn't thought anything could be more torturous than the hours he had spent bound in ropes all day, nor the past several spent at the sexual mercy of Zoro, but having his binds slowly removed was easily the worst yet. Skin already heavily oversensitized from his exploits of the day, it was a whole new fresh hell having the ropes removed and the circulation flooding back into his body. It was almost too much.

As it was, it had taken Zoro twenty minutes alone to get the ropes off of Sanji's legs with the blond writhing intermittently and twitching through the whole thing. Half the ropes were removed from his torso and he was still being rocked by persistent shivers. At this rate Sanji was going to pass out before they got all the damned ropes off.

“Another.” Zoro warned casually, breaking through Sanji's haze as he untwisted a rope from around his pectoral and Sanji wheezed out a sigh when it brushed across an abused nipple. A gravelly chuckle, “Sorry.”

“The fuck you are.” Sanji gritted out thickly, wringing his wrists in agitation, the pinching of the ropes around his wrists helping distract him from the circulation flooding his chest. “Ass...”

A softer laugh this time as Zoro vaulted forward, forearm resting beside Sanji's head as his free hand carded through Sanji's hair, tousling the slowly drying strands that had previously been drenched in his sweat. The fondness sparkling in his amber eyes was quickly melting his ire however, and Sanji found the tension in his spine slowly melting.

Hands slowly slacking in their tense grips on the ropes still tying his hands to the head board he leaned forward minutely, now that the scene was over his boldness returning, silently requesting a kiss from his Dom. Zoro gave in with soft, chaste adoring pecks to Sanji's lax lips that carried on for long minutes as Zoro gently forced Sanji's head back into the plush pillow before pulling away.

Giving Sanji a gentle smile he returned to slowly undoing the rest of the ropes as Sanji remained enervated on the bed, still affected by the removal of the ropes but much more relaxed. It wasn't long before the last rope fell away and Sanji was left dazed on the bed with his arms numbly splayed by his head, still trying to gain proper control over his limbs.

“All done.” Zoro crooned in a far too pleased tone as he pulled away from Sanji to sit on the edge of the bed, hand still rubbing reassuring caresses into his side.

“Christ.” Sanji cussed softly, his whole body still thrumming intensely as heavily lifted his arms to glance at the biting, red lines running down the length of his pale flesh. The cords and strands indenting it in beautiful yet eerie patterns that were even more enticing than the blue rope that had previously been there.

“C'mon.” Zoro urged with a smile, “Come out to the living room and I'll order us some take out.”

“Ugh.” Sanji grunted exaggeratedly as he pushed himself up, ignoring the tremble in his arm as he snatched up the sweat pants Zoro passed him. Fumbling into them with far less grace than he would've hoped before following Zoro out of the bedroom on unsteady feet, rubbing the indents on his wrist mindlessly.

While he had never been on a boat, or any form of sea faring vessel he assumed that what he was experiencing at the moment was akin to 'sealegs'. As nothing under his feet felt at all stable, and each step had him at risk of stumbling into any of Zoro's numerous expensive furniture. As Zoro headed for the kitchen to no doubt find his phone to order some food Sanji went into the living room.

Plopping down on the sofa with a leg under him, he pulled the other up off the floor to fully sit cross legged on the couch. Returning to rubbing the indents still prominent on his wrist carefully. The skin slightly red but the marks gently fading as the cool air clung to the heated flesh with an odd chill that had him shivering.

After spending all day in the ropes, it was weird to suddenly have none on him at all and to only be able to feel the remnants of them. It was like being undressed in a totally different way, and despite the clothes he currently wore he still felt undeniably naked. Beyond the physical, there was another feeling nagging at the back of his mind as he rubbed a bit more insistently at a mark along his forearm. His body felt stripped and laid bare in a way that had nothing to do the physical adornments and had everything to do with Zoro.

Zoro had been the one to place the ropes on him. Zoro had been the one to bind him. Zoro had been in complete and utter control of him. And now that enveloping presence was gone and he felt detached. It wasn't anything as severe as subdrop – Zoro had seen to that quite thoroughly – it was simply a yearning for the presence to be there once more.

Fingers slipping from his wrist to thumb lightly at the tie hanging loosely from his neck that still hadn't been removed. The intimate object now becoming a rather permanent fixture on his person. Tugging on it slightly, the knot pulled ever-so-gently against his throat and he breathed a sigh of relief.

It tightened just a fraction more than usual and with it Sanji felt a little bit of the tension within him melt away. This was Zoro. Here when he couldn't be there for him. A brand and a mark to keep him reassured of Zoro's presence over him even when he couldn't see him.

He was so enthralled in the silken bite of the tie he didn't even notice Zoro enter the room, it wasn't until rough yet gentle hands cradled his and Zoro spoke that Sanji even realized he was in the room. Eyes snapping open in shock, he watched as Zoro sat carefully beside Sanji, not releasing his hands as he asked softly.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” Sanji grunted thickly, giving a short couple nods as he tried for a less rough tone, “Yeah.”

Zoro didn't seem appeased, his hands still holding Sanji's as his eyes flicked down to the tie before back up to watch Sanji critically. His easy tone belied the hard suspicion in his eyes, “Sure?”

“I...” Sanji floundered his words uselessly, lifting a shoulder and grinning nonsensically, he wasn't sure what to even say to explain what he was experiencing, “The ropes, I...”

Zoro's brow creased in concern, his mahogany eyes flicking across Sanji's features and self as he seemed to be reading more than Sanji could possibly voice. Skittering down to look at the tie around his neck, then to the marks still lingering on his arms, the hands within his that were shaking lightly, and then back up to Sanji's face where he continued to stare wordlessly at the man.

“It's not subdrop.” Sanji clarified after a moment, “I – I just want you... Near.”

That seemed to be enough clarification as Zoro nodded calmly and took a more permanent seat on the couch and pulled Sanji back to rest against his chest. Arms wrapping around him as his hands went to Sanji's wrists to rub at the marks of their own accord. Whether to work out the indents or to keep Sanji's hands from fidgeting he didn't know.

“Pizza will be here in forty minutes.” Zoro explained offhandedly as his hands slipped a little higher to work on the marks on Sanji's forearms. Sanji melted a little back into Zoro as the man's practiced medical hands made quicker work at turning Sanji's arms into goo under their diligent work.

“So, I guess I didn't get to ask since you got here,” Zoro mused, as he seemed to be pressing for casual conversation under the guise of distracting Sanji from his current state over the ropes, “But how was work?”

“Eh,” Sanji shrugged in Zoro's embraced, eyes slipping shut as the therapists' hands sidled to his waist and began working the lines along his obliques, “Same old, same old.”

“Mm.” Zoro accepted quietly, thumbs rotating in beautiful arch along Sanji's lower back that had the blond groaning softly in happiness.

“I mean,” He continued casually as he vaguely remembered Ace's offer earlier that day, “The company wants to put me up for a University program so I can start working in the actual tech and coding department instead of sales.”

“You're going back to school?” Zoro clarified with a tone of surprise.

“Yeah,” Sanji huffed, “Figured it was about time to plan for the future.”

“Well, if you're as good at all that tech stuff as you seem to be,” Zoro mumbled softly at his ear, “then you'll be running the company before long.”

Sanji was infinitely grateful that his back was to Zoro and that the man couldn't see the way the encouraging words were affecting him. It seemed ridiculous to be embarrassed about it, and yet Zoro was the whole reason he had decided to do it in the first place and start turning his life around.

“Can I tell you something?” Sanji asked slightly unsure if now was the best time to be divulging this to the other man, but at the same time he felt so safe in their current situation that it seemed only right to be honest with him.

“Sure?” Zoro questioned back, obviously looking a little weary and confused over the sudden seriousness Sanji was portraying. Even though it was entirely a serious matter, he still felt obligated to tell the man as an offhanded way of thanking him.

“You're the reason I wanted to go back to school.” Sanji stated simply, no dramatic pause of flourish. There, he had said it, as cheesy as it sounded.

Zoro cocked his head to the side and took in Sanji calmly from where he could see him over his shoulder, eyebrow arching skeptically, “Really?”

“Well, yeah.” Sanji floundered awkwardly, not expecting having to explain himself after admitting it, “I mean I like you, which I hope is pretty obvious, and you've taken your career and life so seriously I kind of respect that. So I figured it was time to stop messing around with a high school job and get started on something real.”

“I'm honored.”

“Not that your ego needs anymore inflating.” Sanji scoffed, trying to lead them away from the mushy territory that their conversation was leading them and to things that in no way needed discussing at this point in time, “Don't let it go to your head or anything.”

A near painful sounding snort left the green haired man as he let his head fall back against the couch, not dignifying Sanji with a response and simply pulling the blond back down to lie on his chest. It was as good an answer as any and Sanji let himself be manhandled, not minding the treatment so long as the conversation was well and fully dropped for now.

They lay like that for several long minutes just reveling in the calming breaths of each other, Sanji finding himself starting to drift off to the rhythmic up and down of Zoro's chest. Sanji found himself on the cusp of sleep when Zoro's body stiffened and Sanji jerked awake as Zoro asked suddenly, “When's your next day off?”

“Um...” Sanji stalled, hand coming up to rub at his temples as his legs twinged in pain from twitching awake so suddenly. Mentally checking his work scheduled he hazarded lamely, “I think next Tuesday?”

“Okay.” Zoro accepted simply, though he sounded pleased, “I'll make sure not to book any appointments then.”

“Why?” Sanji prodded curiously, not willing to let the reason he had been awoken be dropped so suddenly.

“Surprise.” Zoro supplied with a shrug that shifted Sanji bodily.

“What is it?”

“You deaf?” Zoro snorted, bring his hands up to clasp behind his head, “I said it's a surprise.”

Sanji felt the muscles above his right eye and upper lip twitch in annoyance but stifled his complaint with an accepting grunt. If their was one thing Sanji had learned from the past few months with Zoro, was the man was not someone you could convince to divulge anything – physical or verbal – unless he really wanted to. So, ultimately letting the issue go, he settled down and let himself fully drift off to sleep on top of the man.

~X~

Lunch was a welcome break, finally able to sit in the break room and take some of the pressure off his sore feet. The last few days had been hectic, and today he had just spent all morning running around from customer to customer in non-stop need for attention. With how exhausted he usually was by the end of the day, him and Zoro had hardly gotten the chance to go out and do something let alone go back to each others places.

Sanji had settled for the man crashing at his house after a particularly long day with them enjoying microwave pizza and embarrassingly out of date soaps on the television before both passing out. Not that he could complain, the reassuring domesticity of it all was easily growing on him and he was becoming a sucker for the big lug falling asleep in his lap and snoring entirely ungracefully.

Zoro's little quirks were becoming more noticeable and he was secretly happy he was beginning to catch them more often. Like the way the man had a habit of picking up his fork with his right hand and using it for a time before realizing his discomfort and switching to his dominant hand. Or how he would always unconsciously sniff at the milk before drinking it which made Sanji wonder if the man had a bad experience with sour milk.

After getting out of the shower there was a little twitch he would have, as though trying to flick water or wet hair out of his face, and when getting dressed he always put his head in the shirt first and then struggled to get his arms awkwardly through the sleeves. And in the mornings he tended to lean against the counter with a piece of buttered toast hanging from his mouth, eyes closed as though he hadn't gotten a moment of sleep, waiting for the coffee to boil.

It was all these little, adorable intricacies that made Sanji realize that despite the man being several years older than him and holding down a solid job, he was still a bumbling nineteen year old at heart. This just made him all that more endearing, and Sanji's favorite past time was quickly becoming running his fingers through Zoro's hair after he had fallen asleep on the couch and looking for the traces of roots in his florescent green hair.

The sex was phenomenal, but he was beginning to look forward to their exhausted cuddle session almost as much as being tied to the man's headboard. Though it was still an emotion he wasn't planning on touching with a ten foot pole only months into their relationship, so he opted for ignoring it blissfully for the time being. Halfway through a takeout container of Thai Noodles, Ace came barging into the break room waving an iPad erratically.

“Sanji, check this out!”

Choking down his mouthful, he removed his feet from where they rested unprofessionally on the table top, “What is it?”

Fingers darting across the screen hurriedly he exclaimed, “They found another body. It's so messed up this time, dude.”

Leaning across the table, he swiveled the iPad around so it faced Sanji and before pressing play on the news clip loaded on the web page. It took a few seconds to buffer as Sanji recognized the newscaster as Ms. Valentine, the woman that had been reporting on the disappearances and murders on the local news channel the past month.

“I have to go back to work but watch the whole video.” Ace implored before heading back out of the break room. As the lag finally caught up, the video started as the clip began partway through the news broadcast.

“The body of one, Nami Mikan, was discovered early this morning by sister, Nojiko Mikan.” Miss Valentine stated calmly, “While the family is unwilling to give any statements at this time, Baroque Works News Team was able to get some confidential footage before the police closed off the scene.”

The footage transitioned to a small suburban neighborhood, camera scanning the street as the notable voice of Miss Doublefinger crooned in the back ground, “It was here in this quiet neighborhood where just this morning the remains of twenty year old Nami Mikan was found. Along with a disturbing message from the person responsible.”

Camera fumbling slightly, it eventually focused on the immaculate visage of Ms. Doublefinger whom held her Baroque Works microphone carefully in one hand as she gestured to the floral garden behind her.

“This is the property owned by Miss Nojiko Mikan, and her, until recently, missing sister Nami.” As she began walking towards the back of the yard where a line of small fruit trees were visible she continued, “While gardening early this morning, Miss Nojiko discovered what is believed to be the remains of her younger sister due to certain artifacts recovered with the body.”

They neared the back fence where a large amount of police tape fenced off a small area of up turned dirt, with a myriad of other reporters and cameras getting shots of the scene. Turning back to the camera Ms. Doublefinger urged gently, “This is what forensics have properly uncovered in the past hour.”

The camera panned along the flower bed where the police tape was heavily guarding the revealed remains of the body. Trowels and brushes scattered around the edges that had been used to clear away the soil to uncover the bones underneath. At first it just appeared to be a random assortment of bones but on closer inspection there seemed to be an odd pattern.

It took a moment for Sanji to realize that they where spelling out words. Femurs and tibiae acting as long strokes of the letters, the smaller bones packed into the lines to give them bolder definition, the ribs prominently displayed in the archs of the curved letters, and the skull was placed neatly for the 'O'.

TICK TOCK

“A simple message, laid out in the bones of a young girl,” Ms. Doublefinger spoke quietly, “Seemingly as a taunting message from her killer.”

Film cutting out back to the image of Ms. Valentine, she managed the words, “Thank you, Ms. Dou--” before the video ended.

Sanji stared numbly down at the finished video, noodles still held numbly in his hand as he tried to take in everything he had just seen. Not only the fact that the young girl that the entire city had been praying for was now dead, but that the person responsible was getting bolder and cockier. Whomever was behind this, what ever their reasons were; it was clear that it wasn't malevolent. This was no path of revenge, or prejudice. It was a game.

They were doing this for fun. And this taunting message was clearly just to laugh in the faces of the police and the public for thinking that they might be able to catch them. Two simple words to let the world know that the time of the other two captives was running out, and god only knew who else.

Appetite completely gone, he set his noodles aside and thumbed down the page to find the related articles and found a video labeled; Nami Mikan - Seattle Police Statement. Selecting it, it only took a moment to load before the front of the Police Station was visible.

Just like the last time the Chief had given a statement in front of the department, the crowd out front was a bustle with reporters and press fighting for a front line position to hopefully question the man. Though there were significantly more people and news crews this time, the police line out front that kept security was much more prominent as well.

Where as last time when the body of Luffy had been discovered and it had mostly just been local news teams reporting on the story; this time there were now much more notable networks. SIN[1], Foxy[2], and even AlBaC[3] had microphones positioned on the podium in front of the Chief as the story was now becoming an issue of national attention. One body discovered in a field was one thing, but three separate bodies discovered and several other people still missing was now one of the largest stories in the country at the moment.

The interview was already partially concluded as the questions portion was well under way. A reporter shouted out above the rest of the crowd loudly, “Is the recently discovered body of Nami Mikan believed to be related to the Seattle Serial Killer?”

“Yes.”

“And what of the supposed message, left by the culprit?” Another shouted out, “What does the department think it meant to mean?”

“No comment at this time.” Smoker grunted, clearly already weary with the few questions, after dealing with the press over the past month.

“What about the body found in the bay near Bellevue?” A reporter managed loudly over the rest of the hubbub, “Are the police considering this a possible connection to the recent serial killer?”

“As of now the police do not--” Smokers words were drowned out in the cacophonous questions and outcries from the press in front of him, scowl deepening as he continued on with a pointed annoyance, “DO NOT believe that the body from Bellevue was in any way connected.”

“What reasons do the department have to support this theory?”

“Not only was the person missing less than 24 hours before the body was found, but it was clearly a body dump.” Smoker explained gruffly, “Our psychoanalyst believes that it is not in the proper M.O. of the serial killer, and our force has already sanctioned a team to investigate the separate incident.”

“What does your team know so far about the serial killer?” The reporter drawled sarcastically, obviously taking a jab at the departments inability to get a break in the case in the past two months, “The public wants answers!”

Smoker's mouth opened, clearly intent on responding with something aggressive to the baiting reporter, but was swiftly cut off as his second in command stepped forward. Snatching up the microphone in a decisive grip she scowled down at the crowd before speaking over top of the muttering. Underneath her on the screen the news channel labeled her as Lieutenant Tashigi.

“This person wants to make a statement.” Tashigi uttered sharply, stern eyes scanning the crowd mercilessly, “Whomever is responsible isn't doing this out of passion, or revenge. Each abduction is flawless. The murders, meticulous. This is someone whom kills from an entirely personal reason, and the displaying of these bodies is meant to make an impression.”

The crowd was for the first time quiet, breaths held as they listened to the woman with awed attentiveness. It seemed their need to not miss a single word managed to silence them long enough for her to continue.

“They want this attention. They want the press.” Tashigi scowled, eyes searching the press as though blaming the vulturous media for being truly at fault for what was currently happening, “They are probably watching this broadcast right now. But I want to make it very clear to this person that their actions will not go unpunished, and the full force of the Seattle Police Department is working day and night to bring them to justice.”

A small lull followed the powerful words of the woman, before another uproarious bout of questions were screamed from the paparazzi and arms were thrown in the air to try in some vain attempt to get the lieutenants attention above everyone else. Finally she motioned to one of the reporters near the front.

“What do you think the message is that this person is trying to send?”

“We don't know...” Tashigi admitted regretfully, “However the psychoanalyst that we have brought in is currently working on a profile as we speak. When he is finished the police will give another statement at that time.”

“Anything you want to say to the serial killer if they are, in fact, watching this?”

She paused for a moment, seemingly mulling over the words before glancing up at one of the various cameras pointed in her direction, “They have our attention now. I suggest they watch where they step from now on.”

There was more uproarious screaming from the reports but they were dismissed as Tashigi turned from the podium with a swish of her police enforcement jacket and stormed into the department building. The rigid line of her back enough of statement to how serious her threat was to the serial killer. 

The camera that had been filming was jarred from its position and then the footage was abruptly cut off leaving the screen black as Sanji let out a heavy breath at what he had just witnessed. It was a lot to take in, and he had hardly started to process it before his phone vibrated in his pocket letting him know that his break was over.

Boxing up his remaining noodles and tossing them in the staff fridge, he snatched up Ace's iPad and made his way back out onto the floor. Ace was finishing up a few customer special order forms on the till computer, glancing up when Sanji placed the iPad down beside him on the counter. Sanji wasn't exactly sure what to say, so simply let out a heavy breath to express his speechlessness on the matter.

“Crazy, right?” Ace nodded solemnly, fingers skating across the keyboard as he filled out the customers name and personal information.

Leaning an elbow on the counter he muttered, “Yeah...”

“I thought...” Ace trailed off with a heavy sigh, eyes leaving the screen for a moment to look down at his hands quietly, “I thought for sure they were going to find the girl before anything happened to her. I just thought that by now something would've been done.”

“What can they do?” Sanji shrugged quietly, “They had no idea it was going to escalate so quickly, and so badly. How were they supposed to know a missing children's report was going to turn into a series of murders?”

“I know but as soon as that boy was found I thought they were going start taking this more seriously,” Ace grunted petulantly, abandoning his work to glance at Sanji, “You know, start searching the crime scenes more seriously for evidence or something.”

“They said nothing was recovered at the scene.” Sanji argued, feeling bad for being the pessimistic voice of reason, but knowing that despite how horrible it was; this was the sad truth. “Whomever this is doesn't plan on being caught because a fingerprint or something so simplistic. You heard the woman in that interview; the person behind this planned out every detail. They're not going to be caught on a mistake.”

“The dude can't be that good.” Ace rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in annoyance, “There has to be evidence of some sort left over.”

“I'm sure there is something linking the victims that will eventually lead the police to a suspect,” Sanji conceded slowly, “But the evidence isn't going to come from the crime scenes; it's going to come from the victims.”

“Well, they have three bodies on their hands now. Hopefully they can do something before the other two turn up just as mutilated.” Ace muttered softly, before growling, “And that asshole had the gall to taunt the police; I swear to god when they find out who is behind this I'm going to get thrown in jail just so I can punch the dude in the face!”

Sanji chuckled quietly at that, knowing Ace was more than a little hotheaded enough to follow through on that promise. Though he couldn't quite brush off how wound up the man was getting over this, “You seem to be taking this harder than the others...”

“Ugh, yeah...” Ace admitted heavily, “I didn't realize it until I saw the report, but I knew her sister.”

“What?!” Sanji balked.

“Remember that girl with the tatts that came in and dumped that acai slurpee on my head?” Ace asked with a wry smile, though it held none of its usual brightness, “That was her. Nojiko.”

“Holy shit...”

“Yeah.” Ace grunted, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands before dragging them through his hair lethargically, tugging on the black locks before letting his hands fall away, “I was so scared that this would happen to someone I knew, but it already has. And it doesn't feel like anything I thought it would.”

Sanji bit the inside of his cheek, not even remotely sure where to begin to reassure his friend. Though he knew everyone had thought the same thing when it had first started. That small, selfish worry that it was going to be someone they knew. But how could it possibly feel to actually come true.

He now knew two people who knew someone that was a victim of serial killer; Ace and Zoro. And he couldn't fathom how it felt, but he could see the same hollow look on Ace's face that had graced Zoro's when he had recognized the innocent face of the young boy that had gone missing only a week prior. It was a look of utter shock and helplessness as you came to terms with how useless you truly were.

Words were pointless, so Sanji just reached out and placed a hand on the man's shoulder, squeezing firmly to hopefully ground the man even if just minutely. He could feel Ace shift under his hold; first shake gently, then lift with a breath, and finally stiffen with resolution as he cast Sanji a small smile. Opposing arm coming up to slap Sanji in his upper arm, returning the comraderic squeeze.

“Thanks man.” Was all Ace supplied, but he looked far lighter than moments before and he left Sanji alone behind the counter to go and deal with a customer on the floor. Sanji watched him go a feeling of unease settling in his gut.

~X~

There were two hours left in Sanji's shift and he was craving a cigarette to the point where he was chewing his nails under the pretense of boredom so he could suck some of the nicotine from under them. It was moments like this where he realized he definitely had a slightly unhealthy addiction, but everyone was allowed their crutch and this was his.

Just as he was about to go find Ace to ask for a coffee break to go out back for a quickie he felt a buzzing in his pocket. Switching to his middle finger nail, he dug out his phone with his left hand a little clumsily. Awkwardly fumbling with putting in the passcode with his left thumb, he eventually was able to open his messages and see a new text from Zoro.

Look up.

Sanji frowned at the message in confusion but nonetheless raised his gaze to glance around the store, it took several moments before he finally noted the familiar green hair through the large glass walls of the store front. Zoro gave a closed smile before holding up two coffee cups in silent offering before raising an eyebrow in question.

Grinning broadly Sanji held up a finger to tell the man to hold on as he dashed to the other end of the Genius Bar where Ace was inputting someone's account info onto the storefront computer.

“Hey, listen. I'll be back real quick.” Sanji reassured softly, “I'm just going to go on my smoke break.”

“Yeah, of course.” Ace nodded absently, waving him off as he stared down the computer with a frown as though it was doing him a personal offense. “Take your time.”

“Thanks.” Sanji grinned, quickly pulling his blue shirt off over his head a throwing it into the break room with disregard, hoping it had at least landed on a chair or the table instead of the floor. Already dashing out from the behind the counter as he made his way out of the store and into the busy mall walkway. Finding Zoro standing off to the side and quickly weaving his way through people to get to him.

“Hey!” Sanji shouted happily, his out burst causing a nearby mall patron to look up and frown at him in confusion. Sanji refrained from rolling his eyes and telling the man he wasn't talking to him and opted for pecking Zoro on the lips and happily taking his steaming latte from the man, “This is amazing; you didn't have to.”

“I had a few open bookings and figured we didn't get much time to hang this week beyond me falling asleep on your couch,” Zoro shrugged fondly, free hand finding his hoodie pocket as they began walking casually down the mall strip, “Might as well enjoy a coffee.”

“Mm.” Sanji hummed approvingly, licking foam from his upper lip as the warmth of the coffee made him feel drastically better, “I needed this. And you always get my order just right. Point for you.”

“Are you actually keeping score?” Zoro scoffed, taking a swig from his own stark black coffee. Sanji could practically taste the bitterness on his own tongue and refrained from gagging rudely.

“Yes,” Sanji huffed haughtily, “And you are severely lacking.”

“Oh?” Zoro's brow shot up in interest, before tutting softly, “Didn't seem that way when you were gagging on me last night.”

Sanji's cheeks immediately lit up and he was moments from snorting his latte out his nose, as he opted for hiding behind his cup as he tried to regain some composure. Zoro barked a sharp laugh at Sanji's reaction that had Sanji scowling and muttering back vindictively. “There's nothing there to gag on.”

That had another rough laugh torn from Zoro as he actually leaned over with the force of it, finally recovering enough to wrap his arm comfortably around Sanji's waist as they neared the food court. Hand squeezing his hip playfully Zoro took another swig of his coffee before leaning over to whisper near Sanji's ear.

“You're just pouting cause I didn't fuck you.”

“Hardly.” Sanji scoffed into his coffee, the blatant lie fooling no one.

Zoro just rolled his eyes fondly at Sanji's petulant behavior as they neared a small table and released the blond so they could both take a seat. Zoro seated himself opposite Sanji as he cast a broad glance around at his surroundings before commenting airily, “Don't come here often...”

Sanji refrained from snorting. It was pretty obvious that the man wasn't a frequent mall goer, even less likely that he was the type to eat at a food court. With his physique Sanji was pretty sure the man's fridge was stocked with nothing but falcon eggs and rocks.

On that note his stomach gave a small growl at his unfinished takeout in the staff fridge back in the staff room, remembering the cause of his earlier loss of hunger sadly. Thumbing at his paper cup idly he wondered how to broach the subject with the man without being too brash.

“Hey, kind of a downer question here but,” Sanji began carefully, “What did it feel like when you found out about that young boy, Tony? When he was taken?”

Zoro seemed taken aback at the sudden change in subject before seriously pondering the question, thumb working up and down the side of his cup methodically. Finally he offered simply, “A little surreal.” 

A frown creased his brow, “It's not like when you find out someone close to you has died, but it's worse in an entirely different kind of way.”

“Like?” Sanji urged gently.

“I felt sad for not really knowing him.” Zoro shook his head helplessly, as though he still really didn't quite know the words to say, “I know there was absolutely nothing I could've done since I didn't even know him, but I wonder if I could've. Like if I had made the effort then maybe...”

Zoro trailed off with a morose sigh and Sanji was immediately guilty for broaching the subject. It was a sore spot with Ace, and clearly with Zoro as well. Here Zoro had driven downtown to enjoy his lunch break with him and he had to go and ruin it by bringing such morbid talk into it.

“It's a complicated feeling.” Zoro concluded eventually, “You want to feel sad for them, but feel guilty for not having the right to.”

“Thank you.” Sanji urged before groaning softly, “I'm sorry for asking. This was supposed to be a nice date and I made it all morbid.”

“It's fine.” Zoro promised simply, “Why are you asking me this though?”

“My co-worker dated a family member to one of the victims,” Sanji explained, waving airily to hopefully wordlessly infer about the recent news that the man had probably already seen, “He's taking it kind of hard.”

“Ah.” Zoro nodded thoughtfully, taking a sip of his coffee quietly, “It's definitely becoming a more widespread issue.”

“Ugh, okay.” Sanji groaned, “Enough morose talk; it's bad enough that this tragedy is causing everyone distress. I won't let it take control of my boyfriend time. I fully intend to enjoy the rest of this latte in high spirits.”

Zoro gave a small smile, lifting his paper cup and tilting it forward in a silent cheers motion, returning it to his lips to continue sipping at it. They sat in silence for a while as they each finished their drinks, and despite their promise Sanji knew he had effectively ruined the mood for the remainder of his break.

“How about we go out tonight,” Zoro offered, finally breaking the silence, “Take our minds off it?”

“I'd be down for that.” Sanji grinned, “What were you thinking?”

“It's Friday,” Zoro mused mischievously, “How do you feel about seeing a scene?”

~X~

Impel was exactly as Sanji remembered it with its scantily clad patrons, booming music, and unashamed flaunting of sexuality. The sight of exposed flesh, leather and exuberant amounts of body glitter were a welcome sight as they entered the main dance floor, Zoro immediately leading them to the bar and ordering them two drinks.

As Zoro leaned over the counter in an attempt to get one of the bartenders attention, Sanji turned to let himself be distracted by the club once more. Able to enjoy everything much more unabashedly than he had the last time he was here. The first time he had still been modest about his preferences and polite about his staring, but now that he felt more at ease he really allowed himself a healthy stare of the place and its patrons. Distantly by the DJ at the front of the dance floor he could see a familiar flash of pink hair in a cage to signify that Coby was on dance duty tonight.

“Sanji!” His name was faintly hollered over the thrum of the loud bass reverberating through the club, a hand on his shoulder the only real reason he knew to listen for his name. Turning in time for Zoro to hand him a drink fizzing with carbonation and a heavy dose of ice. Taking a sip from the sweet concoction of alcohol and soda he nodded in thanks as Zoro leaned in so he wouldn't have to yell at him.

“I'll be right back.” Zoro murmured into his ear before gesturing towards the scene rooms, “I'm going to go find out what's on tonight.”

Sanji nodded idly, watching Zoro go with a fond grin as he took a sip of the beverage Zoro had gotten for him. Compared to last time they had been here and he had felt so out of his element, he know found that it was much easier to relax in the over exuberant environment. 

Raising the glass to his lips once more, the amber liquid hardly touched his lips before words were spoken far too closely to his ear.

“Hello there.”

It took Sanji several moments to realize the words were being spoken to him as he turned around to be greeted by a rather tall gentleman with a wide, charming grin and sunglasses that were pushed back into his short blond hair. The man was flamboyantly dressed for such a leather clad crowd, the large feathery pink coat he wore was enough to make him the most eye catching thing in the whole room.

A drink was held casually in one hand as the other remained propped in his pocket, eyes sparkling fondly as he watched Sanji. Leaning in to make the appearance of making sure Sanji heard the words, he couldn't help but feel the man just simply wanted to tower over him menacingly.

“What's an adorable twink like you doing here all alone?”

Sanji immediately scowled at the term. Zoro had called him that, but that was with thinly given permission given that they had at least known each other for a while. He wasn't about to let a complete stranger have that privilege. Taking a calming sip of his drink he snapped, “Call me a twink again and I'll make sure to lodge my foot up your ass.”

“You're quite the little SAM, aren't you?” The man chortled while swilling his drink slowly, eyes taking great liberties with their roving of Sanji's body. Sanji refrained from turning away despite how predatory his gaze was; there was a sadistic hunger there that was entirely unnerving.

However, his nervousness was overshadowed by his displeasure at being called Sam. He knew that his slightly unorthodox named garnered most people to assume his name was Sammy, but this was one asshole he wasn't about to let get away with the invalidity.

“No, it's San.” Sanji corrected with an embellished enunciation of the 'n', “You know, with the 'nuh' sound. San-ji.”

The man looked genuinely startled for a moment, eyebrows cresting as he stared the blond down before breaking out into a fit of amused chuckles. Sanji couldn't help but frown indignantly at the man's behavior, if the man was laughing at his name then Sanji was definitely about to get kicked out of the club for body parts being inserted into undisclosed areas.

“Oh! Oh no no no.” The Dom grinned jovially, “You have me misunderstood, Sanji. It's slang.”

“Oh...” Sanji said shortly, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed over his brash attitude a moment before, though still entirely lost as to what the man was referring to.

“It means Smart Assed Masochist.” The Dom grinned cheekily as his eyes once more raked over Sanji's revealed body, “Though I would have no issues with trying to break you of it.”

Sanji refrained from rolling his eyes as he realized it was just more terminology that he didn't understand, and instead just snorted, “I'm spoken for.”

“He's spoken for.”

Sanji glanced over his shoulder as the words were spoken at the exact moment he had said his own, refraining from jumping at the startling arrival of Zoro. However, as pleased as he was to see Zoro, his Dom looked less than pleased, a rather persistent frown carved into his forehead as he glared down the flamingo impersonator.

“Figures.” The man sighed petulantly, glancing down at his half finished drink before back up at Sanji with that unnerving look of predatory hunger, “Though I'm not surprised.”

Faintly over the roar of the music Sanji could hear Zoro's displeased growl as the Dom continued playfully, “How do you feel about switching?” 

Hand coming out to stroke Sanji's arm, it was swiftly caught in a vice grip by Zoro, tanned fingers digging into the tendons with intent. The other man barely flinched, but he paused his motion nonetheless, watching Zoro with critical eyes; the previous playfulness all but gone.

“You do not have permission to touch.” Zoro growled threateningly, hand tightening further on the pale wrist that was inches from touching Sanji. Frowning slightly at the misplaced familiarity of it all as Zoro's hardened voice brought him back, “I'd suggest you go find yourself another sub.”

The Dom scowled darkly, no longer offering a light-hearted grin as he retracted his hand from Zoro's grip with a vicious jerk and muttered threateningly, “Your Dom should do a better job at restraining you; you're far too undisciplined.”

Spinning haughtily on a polished heel, he began strutting away as Sanji scowled indignantly at the double barb meant to insult not only him, but his Dom as well. Taking an aggressive step after him he shook his fist at the retreating figure while shouting, “I'll discipline my foot up your ass, you Truffula impersonating motherfucker!”

As soon as the last pink feather was out of sight Sanji rounded on Zoro whom was clearly fighting a grin at Sanji's temperament towards the other man and growled, “Are all Doms like that?”

“Naw,” Zoro shook his head as he accepted a drink from the bartender, “You get a few entitled assholes, but mostly everyone's pretty respectful. What was he bothering you about anyway?”

“He called me a SAM.” Sanji scowled, it was quickly replaced however with widened eyes as Zoro snorted into his beverage as he began laughing. Glass set aside on the counter Zoro quickly swiped a napkin to clean the alcohol from his nose even as he continued laughing. Groaning Sanji palmed his forehead, “Oh God, you think so too...”

“It's not a bad thing.” Getting the remnants of liquid from his chest, Zoro tossed the napkin and picked up his drink and grinned, “But only I get to call you that.”

“You never called me that.” Sanji noted sardonically.

“I didn't need to?” Zoro shrugged half heartedly, “It's not a pet name; it's a fact.”

“I am a bit of a smart ass, aren't I?” Sanji preened happily.

“The best.” Zoro agreed with a smirk, an arm finding its way around Sanji's waist before jerking his head towards the scene doors across the room, “Wanna go see the entertainment tonight?”

“I'm up for anything.” Sanji grinned cheekily, allowing himself to be half guided, half shoved through the busy room. He wasn't too sure how he felt about voyeurism, but he wasn't going to knock it until he tried it. All of this was relatively new to him, so anything was game at this point.

Once beyond the door to the scene rooms it had the vague feeling of a convention but for much more sexual themes. Some rooms they passed were simply playing explicit videos up on a screen for viewing, while others were filled with tables housing an assortment of items, lubes, and paraphernalia that he honestly didn't have the time to fathom their purpose while already partially drunk.

There was even a table specifically devoted to ballgags, with easily over fifty variations of color and creature and kink imaginable. The man behind the table even had a young woman posing rather seductively beside him with a gag permanently fitted in her mouth.

“Well, I guess that's one way to sell a product...” Sanji mused aloud as they finally exited the room as he tried not to be too obvious that the way the girl's plump lips stretched around the red ball had been a slight turn on.

Zoro simply snorted smugly, hands deep in his pockets as he led them to the final room at the end. Though the way he was smirking made Sanji almost one hundred percent positive that the man did in fact know how affected the was by the previous room. It was almost infuriating how the man wasn't even the slightest bit jealous and instead fed off of Sanji's sexual frustration.

“Last room.” Zoro explained casually, as though he was totally unaware of Sanji's current state, holding the door open for Sanji with a grin, “It's the scene room.”

Upon entering the room Sanji found it wasn't as dungeon-like as he had imagined, though also way more professional than he had assumed it would be. The seats were elevated above the center of the room – kind of like a lecture hall – but were arranged in a circular order so the people in the middle could be viewed from every side. There were already a lot of people seated and waiting for the scene to start as Zoro led them to a pair of empty seats in the middle row with a decent view.

There was an odd sawhorse like thing that was far more metallic and padded than Sanji had pictured when Zoro had explained the item from the booklet, and also a table beside with with several flogs, plugs and other miscellaneous items on it that were not doubt going to be used. Sanji still couldn't even begin to name what half of them were or where they would be inserted but found himself interested nonetheless.

He had thought it would be weird but the longer he sat the less uncomfortable he was with the prospect of watching a scene between two other people. Logically, it was just live porn, and god only knew he had watched more than his share of erotica...

At that moment the door to the center area of the room opened and two men stepped in; one with a rather prominent scar dissecting the middle of his face and sour look at having a collar and leash on him, and the other with familiar flared purple sunglasses and what only could be a dead flamingo draped around his neck. Leash held cockily in his hand he jerked the other man forward like a puppetmaster controlling a marionette as he glanced around the audience with a leer.

“Oh.” Zoro grunted with a roll of his eyes, “This guy.”

Zoro seemed to be ready to get up out of his chair but something in the other Dom spiked Sanji's curiosity and he caught Zoro by the elbow to keep him from retreating. Zoro raised a brow and Sanji simply shrugged, “You wanted to show me how a public scene worked; we'll just ignore the fact that he's a prick.”

Nodding simply, Zoro accepted Sanji's explanation and settled back in his seat. Despite the other Dom's asshole behavior at the bar earlier, Sanji wasn't about to let that ruin his evening. He fully intended to see a proper public scene played out regardless if one of the people involved was a bit of a self entitled prick.

Rather quickly the sub was strapped to the sawhorse and the scene started. It began relatively timidly with small sensitization toys as the blond teased the sub, chuckling gleefully at the squirming and grumbled complaints from the man strapped to the horse. As he got into the heavy instruments Sanji cast a glance around at the other viewers and found a myriad of different reactions taking place.

Some were clearly watching simply for the voyeuristic sake – obviously turned on by the scene – one sub was biting her lower lip and looked about to cum on her seat. Others were watching with complete seriousness as though trying to take notes, while others watched on with critical, judging looks. There was everything from enjoyment to judgment to criticism covering the faces of the viewers.

Casting a sideways glance at Zoro he found the man slouching deeply in his chair, arms crossed tightly across his chest with his ankle propped up on his knee. A hard look was carved into his face as he watched intently, though whether it was good or bad yet Sanji couldn't quite discern.

Turning back to the scene below he watched for a bit longer, noting the perfectly placed crisscrossed lines now littering the man's back as Zoro had done to him. Faintly remembering the sting, and beginning to feel the burn with each lashing the man below received. The longer he watched the more enthralled he got until he noticed his own slight arousal and was suddenly aware of why people came to view scenes.

It was odd, but the sexual pleasure of the person being flogged had nothing at all to do with what he was feeling. It was eliciting memories and arousal in him that had solely to do with him and his own experiences. Simply watching the way the leather bit into the other man's back reminded him of how it felt and was already getting him half way there.

A dark chuckle shattered the illusion as his attention was once more brought back to the Dom in the scene and the way he towered over his sub. There was something far beyond simple sadism in his eyes as he flogged the other man. His eyes sparkling maniacally with a pleasure that bordered on the psychotic. It was a entirely different type of dominance than what he was used to with Zoro. Whereas Zoro gained pleasure from Sanji's enjoyment of the pain, this man seemed to solely get off on the other man's pain. It was beginning to sicken Sanji.

A snake like tongue came out to lick at curved lips in satisfaction as the man below gave another piercing cry and Sanji found himself pinned to the spot by that excited grin. Crooked teeth gnashed together in a ecstatic smile as his breathing was almost as ragged as the man underneath him being whipped.

Bare chest heaving, spittle was beginning to form in the corners of his mouth, and his eyes gained something completely inhuman altogether. Wide with glee at the sight of the bleeding flesh and quivering body as he brought the leather down in another punishing strike. Those eyes unnerved Sanji, made his skin crawl and gut twist in disgusted ways that made him want to heave.

As though sensing his discomfort they shot up, somehow finding him among the crowd and pinning him to his seat with a psychotic glint. Tongue darting out to wet his lips once more as he began flogging the man harsher, never breaking his heated stare with Sanji.

The discomfort in his stomach turned to ice at the realization that there was something seriously wrong with the man. It had nothing to do with Dom/sub dynamics, or BDSM at all, there was something seriously disturbed with the man and Sanji couldn't handle being in the same room with him any longer. Forcefully breaking his gaze with man, he turned to Zoro and grabbed the man's wrist. 

“Can we go?”

Ever the perceptive, Zoro seemed to be able to note Sanji's urgency and nodded firmly. Turning his hand to lace his fingers with Sanji's, he stood and led them from the room, past all the other viewing rooms and out into the club. Despite the stuffiness of the dance floor, Sanji was somehow able to breathe much easier out here than back in the spacious viewing room.

Zoro continued to lead them through the club until they were fully outside, the night air a welcome shock to his system to break him from his state. Still not quite able to forget the black soullessness that the man's eyes had possessed and the way they had watched him with such malicious intent. It was terrifying how much of a threat that man could put into a single gaze.

“You okay?” Zoro asked seriously once they were outside and able to have a normal conversation without yelling over top of obnoxiously loud music, “You seem pretty shaken?”

Maybe he had just been imagining it. Maybe his dislike for the man in their previous encounter had caused him to project evil and maniacal attributes that weren't actually there. Maybe he was just confusing Dom intensity for some malintent simply out of prejudice because of the man's previous behavior. Maybe...

Sanji finally sighed heavily, shaking his head, “I don't like that guy.”

“He was being overly rough.” Zoro critiqued solemnly, “His sub seemed okay with it though, so I can't judge, but personally I think he was a little too intense.”

They began walking down the street to where Zoro had parked his car, Sanji still unable to respond as he couldn't shake that feeling he had gotten when the man had pinned him in his chair with a terrifying look alone. Hopefully, Zoro saw his silence as judgment, or tiredness, rather than disgust and slight fear.

“There was something...” Zoro trailed off quietly, before sighing and shaking his head dismissively, “Nevermind.”

They walked the rest of the way in silence, Sanji desperately trying to shake off the unnerved, dirty feeling left on him by the psychotic blond man. Once at Zoro's car, the Dom leaned his arms on the roof as he glanced over at Sanji from across the car, “So aside from the overly excited Dom, what'd you think?”

“It was pretty good.” Sanji conceded, aside from the unsettling ending the rest of the experience had been enlightening and enticingly intriguing.

“Would you like to do a scene there some day?”

Sanji actually paused to give it some thought, thinking about being in the center of that room as Zoro had his way with him. Potentially being watched by other couples as he was pleasured. In all honesty the idea wasn't completely horrifying, and was more hot than he had anticipated he'd find it.

“Maybe.” He replied innocuously as he slid into the vehicle, Zoro driving them home as Sanji still couldn't shake the ill feeling of those sadistic eyes..

TBC...


	13. The Kid in the Caribou

A sharp clink rung out as the edge of the bottle clanked against the tumbler full of ice as an elderly woman poured another full glass of whisky. Hands clumsy from the already detrimental amount of alcohol she had already consumed to try and numb some of the guilt and pain she was suffering from. A portion of the amber liquid sloshed onto the counter top as she snatched up the glass along with the bottle and returned to her chaise in the living room.

Fire crackling in the fireplace, its warmth hardly compensating for the comforting glow that had resonated in the living room every night when her grandson had knelt on the carpet doing homework. It had been two long, miserable weeks since he had been taken from his room and Kureha had been unable to deal with it beyond downing nearly a bottle of whisky a night to deal with the guilt.

Slumping low in the cushions she finished off the the last of the tumbler, eyeing the ice in the bottom before placing the glass on the table and turning to the bottle. Tipping the large bottle back as she took a numbing swig, the harsh liquid burning the back of her throat and dribbling down her aged chin and onto her already stained shirt. 

It hardly mattered. The clothes she was wearing hadn't been washed in weeks, the hamper in the laundry room still contained dirty clothes from her grandson before he had been taken. She couldn't find it in herself to maintain the house, nor herself.

A stench had begun to linger over the house, from what she assumed was the lack of her cleaning; the garbage piling up, the compost heaping, and the dishes in the sink in a teetering tower. But as the fire burned hotter in the fireplace the stench became more pungent than it had been the past few days.

It wasn't long before she was practically gagging on the odour, rising from her chair with a drunken stumble to stalk the room and try and find the source. Perhaps one of her cats had crawled behind a bookshelf and died, it had been days since she had taken notice to them after all, though she still managed to sorrowfully fill their food dishes every morning.

Rounding the couch she neared the giant stuffed caribou that remained in the living room – a testament to her late husbands' hunting achievements – only to discover that the smell continued to grow stronger. Nearing the haunches, she leaned in and gave a sniff, immediately pulling away and stifling a retch as the stench was practically emanating from the taxidermy animals' innards.

Slowly rounding the animal in confusion she couldn't understand why it would suddenly reek so bad, after years of being stuffed and unobtrusive. As she came around to the head of the deer she froze suddenly, as something suddenly felt inexplicably off about the animal.

Swallowing thickly and turning slowly up to face the deer, she started at its blank face for a long moment. Its piercing brown gaze staring back at her blankly, hollow and empty but at the same time eerily intimate and familiar. A moment longer and Kureha found herself shrieking in terror and tripping backwards over the coffee table as she came to realize that the fake marble eyeballs that had sat on the deer for years were now gone.

Instead replaced with the innocent brown eyes of her deceased grandson.

~X~

“Look, I understand what you're saying,” Sanji argued heatedly, hands gesticulating in front of himself forcefully, “But I'm saying that over all they weren't absolutely, irredeemably terrible. Sure some flaws, but...”

“No!” Zoro spat back indignantly, keeping his eyes on the road but shifting his glance to Sanji every so often as he spoke, “They were terrible. It's a nation wide accepted fact that they were terrible, and we've moved on.”

“I'll admit that the dialogue is awful,” Sanji conceded politely, holding up a defeated hand, “But that doesn't completely overshadow the fact that it was an intriguing backstory. Not to mention giving proper light on the political system, how influential the Jedi used to be, and how the Emperor rose to such power in the first place.”

“The only reason they have any backing whatsoever is nostalgia; since you were probably nine when you saw them.” Zoro drawled, “I mean don't even get me started on the atrocity of the first one.”

“By all means,” Sanji implored, “Do tell.”

“Jar-Jar Binks.” 

“Ewoks!” Sanji yelped back.

A grimace broke across Zoro's face for a moment and Sanji crowed victoriously, “Ah ha! Gotcha!”

“Alright,” Zoro accepted stiffly, “I'll admit that was a flawed scene.”

“They were teddy bears.” Sanji pointed out flatly, “The fact that they took out an entire squadron of Stormtroppers is less believable than an annoying Namekian who's a little comic relief.”

“Fine!” Zoro groused pointedly, “You got one thing.”

“And lightsabers.” Sanji interrupted haughtily, “You can't not tell me that all the battle scenes, and duels were not absolutely incredible?”

“Fine.” Zoro repeated with jilted annoyance. “But they were still awful.”

“You can't just keep saying it was awful and give no reason!” Sanji wailed in annoyance, “Give me one solid, good reason why the prequels were shit.”

“Midi-chlorians.”

“Oh, fuck you!” Sanji groaned, head falling back as he let his eyes fall shut in defeat. Zoro had pulled his trump card and Sanji knew there was no way to continue the debate. Heaving a sigh he cast a shrewd glance at the man, “Low blow man.”

Zoro chuckled cockily, seeming far too pleased at having won their little argument, albeit with an incredibly cheap shot. How was Sanji supposed to argue with him after pulling the midi-chlorian card? At least he could save himself some dignity and accept his defeat quietly.

As Zoro pulled of the main road onto a side street, Sanji's attention was drawn from their Star Wars debate as he began wondering where Zoro was taking them. The man had promised a treat for Sanji being accepted into RLU but had not let slip the surprise all week; to Sanji's annoyance.

“So... you gonna tell me now?” Sanji asked curiously as Zoro smoothly circled the wheel around to pull them into a parking space, throwing the vehicle in park. Sanji's guesses had varied constantly throughout the week, and despite his – what he thought to be intuitive – guesses, Zoro hadn't given an inch.

“Do you not speak English?” Zoro quipped as he cut the ignition and got out of the vehicle, “What part of surprise do you not understand?”

Sanji followed Zoro's lead, stepping out of the car and folding his arms on the roof as he watched Zoro from across the top of the vehicle, “I just figured since we're practically there you could tell me already.”

“You're impossible.” Zoro chided, locking the car with a beep from his keys as he began making his way down the street. Sanji soon hot on his heels, chuckling at Zoro's annoyance as they turned onto a side street with various shops lining its walls.

It was an absolutely gorgeous spring day out – practically summer – as people milled about on the sidewalks in various summer wear. Music could be heard from buskers further down the street, as the mull of traffic and voices mixed into a cacophonous buzz.

The street seemed to be home to every manner of shop and curios possible; jewellers beside dentists, candy shops beside cobblers. An arcade on the corner had children running in and out of it at breakneck speeds. Sanji was so enthralled by the busy street that he hardly noticed where they were going, bumping into Zoro as the man stopped outside a quaint looking shop. Glancing in the windows gave no tell as to what was inside, and as Sanji looked up he noted a small sign hanging above the entrance. In seductive, curling black ink were inscribed the words,

Shakky's Sex Shop

“A sex shop?” Sanji asked incredulously.

“Best in town.” Zoro smirked in response, leaning forward and holding the door open graciously for Sanji, “Ever been in one before?”

“A few times, yeah.” Sanji mumbled absently as he stepped inside, already distracted by the copious amount of goods and toys decorating the walls and isles of the big shop, “Sadi took me to one down on West Blue Abbey...”

“Welcome.” A smooth voiced greeted them, Sanji glanced over to notice a rather mature woman leaning against the counter by the register. The curls of her bowl cut came up to frame her cheeks elegantly as she rested her chin on a finally manicured hand. She gave a curt nod of acknowledgement before murmuring, “Roronoa.”

Zoro's typically hardened face softened in his attempt of a smile, and gave a small inclination of his head in greeting as Sanji gave a small smile. The interaction was all that was given and then Zoro was walking purposefully into the depths of the shop.

“A friend?” Sanji asked as he followed Zoro, curious but still becoming increasingly distracted by all the isles that he wanted to explore. There seemed to be everything stocked in the shop from clothes and makeup, to toys and books.

“Passive acquaintance.” Zoro conceded, eyes wandering the store as he too seemed to be assessing the area. When the silence stretched out a bit too far he continued, “This is the store I usually frequent...”

“Ah.” Sanji murmured as he continued to glance around, “I was not expecting it to be this big.”

Zoro snorted under his breath.

“Shut it.” Sanji drawled, catching on to the euphemism the second he had said it, “You know what I meant. Now, where do we start?”

“Well,” Zoro mused as he crossed his arms thoughtfully, “There's the role-play and costume section. Games area, books, DVDs, and manuals are over there,” He jerked his chin towards the corner of the store that was blocked from view by a rather large display of ladies stockings, “And toys, lube, and the bondage section are on the end isles.”

“Definitely the latter.” Sanji grinned eagerly, his excitement once more getting a rise out of Zoro. The stoic man chuckling softly as he followed Sanji towards the isles he had gestured to previously.

Rounding the corner, there were several large circular tables, each arranged like a pyramid with stacks upon stacks of lubes, oils, creams, and lotions. Bottles and vials of varying sizes and colours, each with their own fancy labels and exotic names. Kama Sutra labels danced on some, as others simply said their flavors. Sanji was so assaulted by the assortment he honestly couldn't even begin to fathom what to look at or pick up first.

As he rounded one of the tables he noticed one of the bottom rows had a stack of simple tins labeled 'Arnica', snatching up one he turned it over in his hands before glancing at Zoro, “This is what you used?”

Zoro had been occupied on his own, eyes scanning the merchandise as he seemed to be taking note of what was new in the store that probably hadn't been there since his last visit. Raising his gaze to eye the tin Sanji was holding up he eventually nodded, “Yeah. It's actually fairly popular; considering you we're in competitive sports I'm surprised you hadn't heard of it.”

Sanji shook his head lightly, replacing the tin on the table, “The worst injuries were bruises. Nothing an ice pack couldn't fix. What's this?” Sanji picked up another vial that had absolutely no English on it and showed it to Zoro.

“Sensitization oil.” Zoro mused, “Makes the skin tingle.”

“Huh.” 

“Wanna try it?” Zoro offered, and Sanji couldn't honestly tell from his tone if the Dom wanted to or not. Deciding to err on the side of caution to find out more of Zoro's kinks – and maybe his own – he accepted, “Ah, um... Sure?”

Zoro snatched up a bottle from the table, waggling it at Sanji with a smirk and then continued his browsing and leaving Sanji to his own musings. Eventually, they rounded the final isle coming up to the large wall that was brimming over with every single kind of dildo, vibrator, and plug imaginable in all shapes, colours, and sizes. 

It was frankly a little intimidating, seeing all the different varieties of sexual objects that were meant for so many orifices of the human body. Not to mention a few that looked decidedly deadly. Picking up one that was practically the size of a small watermelon and holding it at arms length warily.

“Jeez.” Sanji breathed quietly, palming the large plug back and forth in his hands in fearful awe, “This seems so unnecessary.”

“Well, there's clearly a market for it.” Zoro chuckled, eyeing the large plug over Sanji's shoulder before continuing to meander deeper into the store. Nearing the bondage end of the isle where all the restraints and more leathery items were located.

“Don't you have stuff we can use?” Sanji pointed out as he replaced the ridiculous plug on the shelf, “Why buy new stuff?”

“Most of the time items can be cleaned and reused,” Zoro gave a small, single shouldered shrug, “Cuffs, paddles, rings. Even plugs, and other things if they're properly sterilized. But it can be a turn off to many people using items that have a... history.”

“That's why you bought me that dildo?” Sanji idly ran his hand along the line of dangling crops making some of the metallic ones jingle and clink together before casting a wry look over his shoulder at Zoro, “So we could start with a clean slate?”

“Yes.” Zoro grunted softly, the gruffness in his voice the only tell to his small bit of embarrassment, “You deserve that.”

Sanji turned back to the wall, giving a shallow nod as he pursed his lips to refrain from showing how impressed he was by Zoro's consideration. Just when he thought he had figured out the extent of the man's foresight and intuition he always surprised him with something new. It was almost as though Zoro was trying to prove to Sanji how well and adept he was at this whole thing; it made Sanji wonder if Zoro had been on the receiving end of bad partner before and was trying to rectify it by being so proper about it all.

“I honestly hadn't even thought about that.” Sanji finally admitted, “I mean now that I am though, I'm really grateful.”

“It is definitely concerning how many people don't think about it.” Zoro agreed, “That's why I wanted to bring you here; most of the stuff I own has been used at least one or twice, but some of it hasn't. I tried to use all my new items; sterilized the rest.”

“Hmm.” Sanji nodded, “Well, the whips and stuff don't really bother me as long as they're clean. Though anything you stick in my body has to be out of the package new. Preferably.”

Zoro chuckled softly, crowding Sanji against one of the shelves from behind as he grazed past Sanji's ear to murmur quietly, “And what about me?”

“Ah...” Sanji let out a small choked bubble of air as he found his hips and chest being shoved playfully into the shelves in front of him before managing to collect himself long enough to teasingly reply, “I suppose I could make an exception, if you behave.”

“Excuse you?!” Zoro snorted incredulously.

Sanji chuckled as he turned to face the man, “You heard me.”

“Such insubordination.” Zoro tsked, arms coming around Sanji bodily, squeezing tight and lifting with a startling jerk and grunted, “What ever will I do with you?”

Arms pinned and legs flailing, the only thing that was saving his dignity was the fact that there was no one else around to see him like this. Once Zoro had gotten his entertainment he plopped Sanji back down, releasing him as he ruffled Sanji's hair playfully, “Guess I'll have to teach you a lesson.”

Scowling, Sanji began running his hands through his hair to try and fix the mess that Zoro made as he jested, “Like that's at all been effective before.”

Something glinted sharply behind Zoro's eyes that had Sanji's breath stalling in his chest, and the man seemed desperate to say something in response, but bit his tongue. Muscle in his jaw tensing before a small, conniving smirk split across his face and he turned, ignoring the comment entirely which only added to Sanji's nervousness.

Sanji watched as Zoro walked down the isle with a bored meander before stopping and pulling a flog off the wall and began inspecting it casually. It seemed innocent enough but Sanji had a sinking suspicion the man was already plotting devilish ways for getting him back for his comments. No doubt the Dom was picturing punishing Sanji with that flog right now.

The notion that he was likely going to be punished tonight was thrilling and terrifying all at once and he bit his lip to keep from making a noise. Pants feeling slightly tighter he scowled to himself and forced himself back to the wall, and tried to drive the anticipation from his thoughts.

Pulling the first pair of cuffs off the rack that came to his attention in hopes of not letting Zoro notice how riled up he had become, and pausing almost immediately at the feel of them. His fingers practically sinking into the plush lining on the inside of each leather cuff.

“Wow,” Sanji turned the cuffs over in his hands in awe, “These are soft.”

“You like them?” Zoro inquired somewhat eagerly as he came back to Sanji's side.

“Put them on me?” Sanji offered coyly, offering his wrists to the man while still holding the fur line leather shackles.

Zoro hardly paused before snatching them up gracefully, large broad hands handling the cuffs far more gently than Sanji had been expecting. One hand carefully cradled Sanji's wrist, keeping the cuff in place while the other worked the strap through the buckle. Zoro worked slowly and methodically at attaching the straps properly, attention glued to Sanji's wrists until he eventually pulled his hands away but not without a show of reverently running his fingers across the leather as they retreated.

Hands slowly lowering, dark eyes raised to gauge Sanji's reaction and the blond was floored by the heavy look of desire emanating from the man. Glancing down at his wrists to escape such a heated look he twisted his wrists thoughtfully, testing out the limits of the cuffs and seeing how the fur felt against his skin. The black of the leather contrasted his pale skin, but the blue fur made them seem drastically less intimidating.

He could already imagine having his hands cuffed in these, not having to worry about chafing his wrists as he writhed on the bed – or whatever surface Zoro chose – as the man pleasured him. A part of him was already itching to test the limits of them; maybe behind his back, maybe strapped to a bed post, even strung up to the ceiling. The situations were endless.

Finally glancing back up at Zoro he found that man was significantly less affected, but still watching Sanji with a hard look that Sanji was now learning meant the man was probably imagining something inappropriate of his own. Holding up his wrists Sanji grinned, “I want these.”

“Done.” Zoro assured swiftly.

Helping Sanji out of the them, he tucked them under his arm along with the few bottles of oil and lube they had picked up earlier. As soon as Sanji's wrists were free he was back at looking through the shelves excitedly. The prospect of using these all tonight was making him giddy.

“Oh, there's collars too.” Sanji mused as he continued going through all the items, “And leashes.”

“Want those too?” Zoro jested softly.

“Maybe, but I already have a collar.” Sanji fingered idly at his tie to make his point.

“Your choice.” Zoro shrugged, though Sanji could detect a hint of disappointment in his tone.

“You're into it?” Sanji raised a speculative brow at the man, and while he could see it, he hadn't expected Zoro to really be on the pet end of the scale. Though maybe he had another use for it?

“Mhm.” Zoro stalled heavily before cracking a small mischievous grin, “Not in the way you're thinking though.”

“What other way is there to use it?” Sanji snorted incredulously. Sanji's mind now wandering to the deeper areas of the internet where he had seen some rather questionable things.

“I might tell you sometime.” Zoro shrugged.

“Why not now?” Sanji argued stubbornly.

“It's my job is to service your desires.” Zoro pointed out lightly.

“But I want this to go both ways.”

“It does,” Zoro affirmed adamantly, “but trust me when I say that the leash thing isn't something I do often.”

“Fine.” Sanji acquiesced with a pout, “But you will show me sometime?”

“If you're well behaved; yes.” Zoro responded bluntly, though he was clearly making a jab at the fact that Sanji was unable to ever hold his tongue when around the Dom. It was practically a polite way of saying, 'In your dreams'. Sanji responded in the most adult way he knew how, by sticking his tongue out at the older man.

That garnered an eye roll and scoff as the Dom turned away, and Sanji stepped up his game by making an 'L' with his hand and placing it on his forehead in final retribution. A thought suddenly occurred and Sanji slowly lowered his hand and took a quick stutter step around to come in front of Zoro once more.

“It's not something weird, right?” Sanji wheedled, “Like you're not gonna wrap the leash around your dick and jerk off while dragging me around the room choking me, are you?”

“No! The fuc--.” Zoro appalled, before recovering and replying flatly, “Stop watching porn.”

“I was single.” Sanji enunciated, “What was I supposed to do?”

“Use your imagination.”

“Ouch.” Sanji deadpanned, “Thanks.”

Zoro responded by sticking out his tongue, and making for the next isle, leaving a flabbergast Sanji standing alone for a moment as he revelled in one of the few childish moments Zoro ever exhibited. A fond smile breaking out across his face at the behaviour of the other man before running after him to catch him browsing the next isle.

They began to make their way down other isles and idly looking at all the other paraphernalia. The next few isles were more clothing orientated with sex toys and knickknacks merchandised appropriately. Most of it sexy lingerie that Sanji couldn't help but drool slightly over. Stockings and garters in every sort of frill, colour and lace possible, skirts and bras that really would leave nothing to the imagination, and every outfit for every slutty version on a profession possible.

After that was an entire Dominatrix section with every type of leather body suit and article of clothing you could possibly be looking for. Corsets, leggings and bras for women. Sub suits and leather vests for men. Masks, gloves, and thigh high boots that looked sinister in their black gleaming glory, the heels so high you could likely kill a man by treading over him. Though danger was the appeal Sanji supposed.

As they rounded the corner they came to one of the final sections, the shelves lined with rows upon rows of dirty movies and books in every genre and need possible. A book caught his eye labelled; BDSM Terminology and he immediately pulled it down and opened it. Flipping through the pages he found a lot of terms Zoro had mentioned or explained to him in the past, plus lovely visuals to a lot of the items that had been on Zoro's checklist that he hadn't been entire sure what they would look like.

Zoro remained silent, absently reading over Sanji's shoulder as the blond became more and more enthralled with the book. It was incredibly detailed and informative, and was making him interested in a few things he hadn't necessarily wanted to try before.

“Ever considered topping?” Zoro asked idly, the question catching Sanji off guard for a moment due to how random it seemed. Closing the book and replacing it on the shelf, giving Zoro his undivided attention.

“Sure.” Sanji supplied easily, “It's not like I don't like being on top or anything, hell it's fucking great. But when I started this whole thing it was because I wanted to experience this other side of me that I had never let out before.”

Zoro nodded thoughtfully at that; complete acceptance as always.

“It's not like I won't ever want to do it again,” Sanji grinned, tossing Zoro a wink, “Just right now I'm kind of really enjoying what we have going.”

Zoro nodded again, though this time he seemed like he wanted to say something. Glancing at Sanji, pausing, mentally deciding against it and turning back to the shelves of books.

“Whaaat?” Sanji prodded with a growing grin.

“Well,” Zoro mused, fingering the binding of a book before turning to Sanji, "If you ever want to try power exchange I'm totally up for it.” Zoro offered quickly, and it was one of the rare moments Zoro seemed a tad shy with his request. Quickly hardening again as he grunted, “But only if I know you'll be creative and mature about it.”

“You mean letting me be in control?” Sanji raised a skeptical eyebrow.

Zoro nodded.

“You mean me fucking you?” Sanji clarified, pointing to the aforementioned parties as he said them.

Zoro nodded again, looking a little exasperated now.

“You mean you on all fours and me behind you giving you the d-” Sanji stopped short at the flat look Zoro was giving him, clearing his throat with a nervous chuckle before continuing “And you'd be down for that?”

“Just because I Dom doesn't mean I can't have different sex.” Zoro rolled his eyes, “Are you telling me you don't enjoy a bit of vanilla once in a while?”

“I mean, yeah.” Sanji admitted cautiously, “But totally switching?”

“Sure.” Zoro shrugged, “It's not like I have to be in control of both of us all the time.”

“Alright.” Sanji grinned, already warming to the idea, “You're on. I'll take you up on that offer sometime.”

“I look forward to it.” Zoro purred as he slinked past Sanji, heading back down the final isle and towards the front of the store, Sanji smirking wide to himself before following the man. He wasn't sure what had spurred this sudden offer from the man, but he wasn't about to squander such an amazing opportunity, and he definitely wasn't going to complain.

After doing a final walk through of the shop – wherein Sanji spent far too much time in the bachelorette party section playing with an inflatable penis hat – Sanji settled on a three set of stretching plugs, the cuffs from earlier as well as a riding crop he had been eyeing up, a few lubes with varying flavors and tingling factors, a BDSM handbook with positions as well as proper toy use instructions, and a proper gag that he could personally defile.

As he placed the pile of sexual objects down on the counter in front of Shakky he tried to remind himself that this was her job and mostly likely had stranger people in here buying much more risque things than he was. It still didn't stop him from blushing a radiant pink at Shakky's sly glance.

“Mr. Roronoa.” Shakky greeted once more with a grin, eyes scanning the items as she rung them through, “Fun weekend planned I see.”

“Indeed.” Zoro intoned simply, as the man shifted to pull the wallet from his back pocket while Sanji eyed all the merchandise behind the counter that was clearly high priced stuff. A rather menacing, unpackaged dildo caught Sanji's eye, the length alone staggering though the real interesting part was the large handle fixed to the end. 

Elbowing Zoro in the side Sanji jerked his head towards it before giving a horrified look that he hoped the shop lady wouldn't see. Zoro cast a glance at what Sanji was pointing at, single brow raising speculatively as he noted the huge item. Shakky seemed to note all the attention drawn behind her and she turned to see what the fuss was.

Noting the large dildo she chuckled lightly before leaning across the counter with a mischievous grin, “It's for when I get misbehaving drunken customers in our later hours on the weekends.”

That hardly answered any questions as the men both continued to stand in confusion, Sanji's brows drawn together in worry as Zoro's brow only continued to arch higher. Shakky seemed to see that they didn't understand and she stated bluntly, “No guy wants to admit that the reason he got a black eye was because he got beat up by a crazy menopausing woman wielding a thirteen inch dildo.”

That had both of Zoro's eyebrows skyrocketing as Sanji doubled over on the counter in hysterics, imagining this slender old woman chasing a drunk from her store while wielding the dildo like some form of chained mace. She seemed pleased her joke had gotten a rise as even Zoro began chuckling heartily, though Sanji wasn't sure if it was because of him or the story.

Sanji eventually calmed down as Zoro finished paying, and Shakky wished them well as they exited the store, Zoro once more holding open the door before letting it swing shut with a jingle of the bell. They fell into step simply side by side as Sanji tried to ignore the excitement that rose in his throat every time the bag brushed against his leg.

“Thank you for taking me here.” Sanji eventually mumbled, “It opened my eyes a lot. Though it still felt weird having you buy them for me.”

“It was my pleasure Sanji,” Zoro replied evenly, “And I already told you these are gifts for getting into University.”

“I know, just--”

“Sanji.” 

Sanji stopped talking abruptly as he turned to look at Zoro, the man slowing his pace to an eventual stop as the hard line of his forehead made him look like he was fighting for the right words. Eventually he looked up and explained gently, “I know you're new to this, and I also know from your contract that you don't want the submissive rules to apply to how we treat each other outside of sex, but I want you to know that this is something I like doing.”

Sanji simply raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure what the man was getting at and also shocked that for once Zoro was sharing one of his desires for the first time. Zoro seemed to sense it as his hands twitched, fingers working the palms of his hands in agitation as he continued, “I've been in some varied BDSM relationships, I've also been in a few vanilla ones, but no matter what my sub wants I get off on pleasing them. Some think it's simply the control but it's a lot more complicated than that.”

“I...” Zoro fumbled for a moment and Sanji knew it wasn't his place to interrupt the man when he was finally sharing something personal with him, “It's the control, yes – it's intoxicating – but what's more is knowing I'm in such a position of control that I am responsible for anothers pleasure entirely. I crave being the only one responsible for your pleasure.”

Sanji found himself licking his lips unconsciously as Zoro's admission was already beginning to get him riled up and hot under his collar. He'd always known that Zoro enjoyed topping, but he hadn't fully understood just how much Zoro craved it. How much he truly wanted it.

“So, the gifts...?”

“Me giving you pleasure.” Zoro explained, “A true slave is sometimes complicated; controlling someones work schedule, eating habits, and clothing as well as their sexual pleasure can be a full time job – honestly not for me – but I understand the appeal. That's why little things like this are so important to me.”

“I know you probably don't understand it, but I thrive on being able to do this for you.” Zoro urged as he took a step closer, “Being able to provide for you, even if it's not in a sexual way is satisfying to me. Even buttoning your shirt in the morning gives me a rush...” Zoro's hand curved up to curl around Sanji's tie delicately, “Control doesn't feel like the right word... but I thrive on it, Sanji.”

“Whether it's in the bedroom or just in during the day I get so much out of the responsibility.” His hold on Sanji's tie tightened fractionally as his expression softened lightly, “The fact that I have earned your trust enough to have you let me be responsible for you is something that most Doms strive for.”

Sanji swallowed thickly, tongue and throat feeling parched as Zoro's words left him breathless. It was remarkable – and slightly terrifying hearing these words uttered from Zoro that appeared to be an exact mirror to what Sanji craved from this relationship. It was like Zoro was the perfect puzzle piece that defined the outline of Sanji's own warped piece and together they created a whole.

“I know I probably didn't explain it properly but...”

“No!” Sanji protested thickly, wetting his lips, “I understand you perfectly. It's how I feel, just reversed. I can't explain it well either, but it's entirely an issue based around trust. Not just in sex, but my life.”

Zoro's face softened at that and his eyes seemed to take on a honeyed glow as he released Sanji's tie altogether to cradle Sanji's cheek lightly. He didn't say anything – didn't seem to want to – but was just utterly content in watching Sanji with that pleased expression dancing about his lips.

“I – I never really realized it before,” Sanji admitted, the truth forming on his lips before he even comprehended it himself. All of the things he was just beginning to understand about himself being told to Zoro, “But for so long I couldn't define this feeling I needed. I thought it was just a sex thing but...”

Sanji shook his head minutely, a little bit in awe of the epiphany he was currently having, “It's not.”

“It's everything.” Sanji breathed heavily, finally realizing what had been right in front of him the entire time. All this time he had thought that sex was the only outlet for his control complex, that it was the only way to truly experience that safety of trust and loss of control. But he was wrong.

The responsibility.

Having someone be responsible for him, watching over him, protecting him and caring for him. It seemed ridiculous and silly but the thrill and relief it gave him from having someone else take that from him was a sensation that rivalled subspace it was so euphoric. All this time spent assured that this was how he had to live life and it was completely shattered in a single moment as the reality of Zoro's previous words affected him.

The relief that surged through him at his realization had him throwing himself forward desperately, lips locking onto Zoro's in a kiss that he pleaded would convey even an iota of his gratitude. Not knowing if he'd ever find the right words to say how much he was indebted to the man for giving him this sense of freedom he hadn't even thought was possible.

Zoro returned the kiss delicately, hands holding Sanji in a sturdy yet caring grip as he seemed to understand just enough of what Sanji was going through. And that just made the blond cave even more; the way this man got him so easily was making him realize the pain in his chest had nothing to do with uncertainty and everything to do with a yearning for him that was growing dangerously out of control.

Pulling away finally he eyed the man carefully, basking in the slightly dazed look on his handsome features as he knew with growing certainty that he was falling for the man. He wasn't sure what, or how far he was going to, but he was certain that in no short amount of time he would be falling hard.

And he was okay with that.

“Thank you.” Sanji urged, desperately trying to convey all of his suddenly overwhelmed emotions into the two words that just simply did not seem like enough.

“Don't mention it.”

“No, I mean it. And not just for the toys.” Sanji pushed adamantly, “A few weeks ago I had no idea what I was doing beyond the fact that I knew I had slightly unorthodox desires. If I hadn't talked to you, I dunno, I might have ended up with some asshole that would never have let me know all this.”

“I mean,” Sanji threw an arm up in frustration as the words seemed to be failing him at the moment. Tugging on his hair futilely he muttered, “I get shivers sometimes thinking how wrong it could've all gone. Sadi was a nice person, but she wasn't exactly a saint. And I thought that that was how our relationship was supposed to go. I had no idea that I could've--”

Sanji's rambling was muffled by Zoro's shoulder as his face was tucked into the soft cotton of his hoodie while Zoro's arms came around him in a gentle hug. Nothing passionate, or stirring, just arms tucked at the small of his back feather soft as Sanji still had his hand carded through his own hair and the crook of his elbow was no doubt pressed up against Zoro's face.

“Stop worrying.” Zoro mumbled reassuringly, “You've got me.”

Sanji deflated. The words dying in his throat as he let himself lean into Zoro, relieved that the man understood what he was having difficulty saying. It felt like a pleasant eternity in his Dom's hold after coming to this realization, that he was almost sad when Zoro finally pulled away.

Zoro watched Sanji softly before giving a grin, “Hungry?”

Relieved at the change of conversation Sanji groaned, “Starving actually.”

“There's this great pub around the corner,” Zoro nodded vaguely down the street, “Best nachos in town, hands down.”

“You had me at nachos.” Sanji simpered playfully, allowing Zoro to lead him down the busy afternoon street. Trying to not dwell too hard on his slowly dawning realization of his growing feelings for the other man and what that might entail...

~X~

The restaurant was a small, cozy bar and patio that was nestled between a rather upbeat hostel and a sushi place, only a few blocks from Shakky's and still on the main street in amoungst the curios. Managing to get a table on the patio Zoro immediately waved aside the menu offered by the waitress and ordered a plate of loaded nachos which she jotted down with a flirtatious smile before heading back to the kitchen.

“Think she's gonna try and slip you her number?” Sanji jested as he tossed his jacket over the back of his chair, grateful to be rid of it as the afternoon heat was ever building. He could feel a light line of sweat growing on his hairline, thankfully hidden by his bangs.

“Are you jealous?” Zoro quipped with a smirk, “Or just insecure?”

Sanji narrowed his eyes at the shrewd comment before leaning back in his chair, running a hand through his hair with a rough tousle in an attempt to air his slowly heating scalp, basking in the way Zoro's attention was immediately drawn to the motion.

“She was pretty cute...” Sanji mused, “Could always switch it up. Invite her along for a little fun?”

“She's not my type.” Zoro said shortly, seemingly bored with the conversation as he was paying for more attention to the motion of Sanji's hand as it hiked up his shirt to scratch lightly at his exposed midriff. It was almost hilarious the way his eyes tracked Sanji's fingers, pulling the shirt incrementally higher, before curling around the hem and pulling it fully down.

It took effort not to laugh at the disappointment in his Dom's eyes, and instead pushed himself up while feigning ignorance, “Order me a beer, will you? I'm going to go wash my hands.”

“Sure thing.” Zoro nodded absently, still seeming a little too distracted, if not a little put out.

Sanji made his way through the small restaurant with a smug grin tugging at his lips. It was the small victories that really made him love toying with Zoro. The man really made him work to get a reaction, but whenever he did it was always so damned rewarding. When the man was in Dom mode he was like an impenetrable wall, but get him outside and relaxed and he was as easily distracted as a teenage boy in summer.

The men's bathroom was a single stall that was actually very well kept, and after relieving himself, he took his time running some cold water to splash onto his face and the back of his neck. Midway through drying his face there was a knock that had Sanji responding instinctively, “Just a minute!”

“It's me.” Came the muffled response that took a moment to recognize.

Tossing the paper towel in the ornate trash Sanji unlocked the door and pulled it open, unable to get a word out before Zoro was ducking inside and closing the door swiftly behind himself.

“Zoro--”

“We got about fifteen minutes,” Zoro muttered as he locked the door behind him, already making for Sanji with a purposeful intent that Sanji recognized easily. Before Sanji could fully comprehend what the man had said he was pressed up against the bathroom wall, lips sealed by Zoro's and hands already creeping under his shirt.

Wary of getting caught, he found himself only tentatively returning the kiss. Not one to reject the Dom, but also not wanting to get thrown out for letting this get out of hand. Unless Zoro wanted it to? Was this some sort of test or game? Or did he just want to get Sanji riled up and then return to their table and leave Sanji wanting?

Clearly he was over thinking the whole situation as his shirt was quickly removed without his awareness and tossed over the sink as Zoro pressed Sanji back up against the wall with a grind of his hips that made Sanji very aware that this was not a one sided endeavour.

The tile of the stall was cold against his back and had him arching up into Zoro's hold, the man eagerly rocking into the motion as his lips continued their hot path down Sanji's jugular. Tongue flicking over the tendon as he greedily licked the sweat that had built up there from their earlier time in the sun. The faintest of stubble could be felt as he continued to assault Sanji's neck sending a welcome shiver down his spine.

“God...” Zoro groaned heavily, lips worshipping Sanji's neck in another hot trail of kisses, “I wish I could have you right now...”

Sanji's guts twisted at the words as his dick went from being mildly interested to pressing against the zipper of his jeans with urgency. The last of his reluctance gone as he fully wound his arms around Zoro and pulled him up for another sloppy, heated kiss. Teeth finding his lower lip and tugging needily as he ground his hips up into the man, legs slipping to straddle one of Zoro's thighs.

The rock hard muscle of the man's legs tensing with each powerful rock of his hips, bringing Sanji to his toes each time before allowing him to slide back down. Hands sliding down to grasp at the man's massive arms, fingers clawing as the friction was beginning to mount in a concoction of pain and pleasure.

“Don't say shit like that.” Sanji scolded between kisses, “Even this,” Dipping back down for another scorching kiss, “Is pushing it.”

Zoro groaned thickly, head slipping past Sanji's neck to bury in the blond's hair, inhaling sharply before nuzzling the strands affectionately. Even as their kissing paused, Zoro's hips didn't stop their slow rotation, dipping low before jerking up and grinding Sanji's erection playfully against his jeans with each stroke.

“All I thought about,” Zoro began quietly, calloused hands trailing down Sanji's arms, caressing his wrists affectionately before twining his fingers with Sanji's, “the whole time we,” Lips once more on Sanji's neck as the blond let his head fall back with a pleasured groan.

Zoro began guiding Sanji's arms above his head, shifting until both wrists were restrained by one hand and the other was free to trail back down and palm Sanji's pec. Kneading the rounded muscle before pinching the nipple sharply, swallowing each gasp from Sanji with a kiss.

“The whole time we were in the store,” Zoro fought to continue as he pulled away, lips glistening with Sanji's saliva as he locked eyes with Sanji, pupils blown wide in arousal, “Was using all those items on you.”

Sanji whimpered, relieved he wasn't the only one that had difficulty getting in and out of that store fully clothed. He began tugging at his wrists, eager to get his hands back on Zoro only to have the grip tighten sharply and those devilish lips return to his. Pushing his head back into the tile as his free hand dipped lower to start undoing Sanji's jeans.

Pants were soon taut around his thighs as Zoro's hand took a wet, sure grip on his dick, giving a few delicious tugs. That perfect grip sliding up and down his shaft several times before the confusion set in and he was forcing his eyes open and glancing down, noting the lube slick hand around his cock.

“Where?” Sanji floundered, “When?”

“Shhh.” Zoro crooned, kissing Sanji once more as the hand gave a few more perfect strokes before slipping further down. Sanji inhaled with shocked excitement that Zoro was intending to go so far, and let his last reservations go as a lube slicked finger began circling his entrance tantalizingly.

Zoro seemed to be taking almost too much time with his teasing, smearing the lube around heavily, dipping just a few millimetres of pressure, sliding up to fondle Sanji's balls lightly, then repeating the cycle. It was getting to the point where Sanji was beginning to rock his hips down eagerly in hopes of maybe getting the man to go a bit deeper.

“Mm. Impatient, aren't we?” Zoro crooned, another teasing swipe of his finger as his teeth pulled on Sanji's earlobe.

“You're-” Sanji stuttered breathlessly, “You're the one who said we only have fifteen minutes.”

“True...” Zoro mused fondly, and without warning inserted his first finger in one smooth motion. 

Sanji clenched immediately, but couldn't stop himself from moaning happily at finally being filled. Zoro gave no time to adjust and quickly began working him open as he slipped a second finger along the first and begin scissoring his fingers to work him wider. It burned slightly, but Sanji relished in it; already rocking his body in time with Zoro's fingers to get them as deep as possible.

Zoro released Sanji's wrists to take a firm grip on Sanji's ass, hauling the blond up and urging him to wrap his legs around the Dom's hips. Sanji's arms fell desperately to Zoro's shoulders, hands gripping the round bulges of muscle popping in their effort to hold Sanji up. Once Sanji had a secure grip, his eyes slipped shut as he leaned back into the secure hold of the other man and focused entirely on the hand working in and out of him.

It wasn't long before Zoro's fingers were brushing up against that sweet spot inside him that made his breath short, and his body sing. He could feel precum already drooling from the tip of his dick as Zoro knew just how to touch him, those fingers working him in practised ways.

Those fingers. 

Fingers he worshipped, craved, even dreamt about, were driving him insane. Keeping him on the very edge, while slipping in and out teasingly, the burning stretch only adding to the myriad of sensations building. Sanji was so lost in the fog of his impending orgasm he hardly comprehended what Zoro was saying. Blinking his eyes open to stare into the desire riddled eyes of the other man, he floundered until the man repeated himself.

“Ready?” Zoro asked thickly.

Sanji wasn't exactly sure what Zoro meant, but he nodded regardless, jerking halfway through as something much smoother and bigger than Zoro's fingers was pressed to his entrance. For a heart stopping moment Sanji thought it was the Dom's dick and nearly fainted at the notion of finally having the man inside him. But as the object pushed deeper he realized it was far too hard and cold to be the other man.

It continued to stretch and stretch him before he reached the thickest part of the object and then it slide in effortlessly as his hole closed around what he now realized was the base of the buttplug. A loud gasp escaped him that was quickly muffled by Zoro's hand as Sanji adjusted to the foreign feeling within him, his walls pulsating around the hard object pressing just right against his prostate and causing him to see stars.

Hole clenching around the base instinctively only caused it to feel better and Sanji soon found himself salivating against Zoro's palm. A few proper strokes to his dick and he'd probably come right here on the spot, and Zoro for once did not disappoint. Lube slicked hand took a final, sure grip on Sanji's throbbing erection and pulled him through to completion.

Eyes rolling back into his head, guttural moan stifled by his Dom's hand, he shook bodily as he splattered his come all over his chest. The orgasm seemed to last forever as every muscle in his body tensed, and the head rush distorted his vision, body clenching around the plug and making it that much more intense. Eventually he came down from his high, body still shaking and grateful Zoro was holding him up as he wasn't sure he would be able to stand on his own two feet.

They stayed intertwined for several long moments, Zoro letting Sanji recover properly before slowly pulling away and watching the blond closely. Dark brown eyes blown wide as he stared the blond down, lips ever-so-slightly parted as he panted, from arousal or restraint Sanji couldn't guess. He liked to imagine it was due to both.

“Do you, uh--” Sanji stuttered, still quite aware of the erection digging into his hip, “Do you want me to help you deal with that?”

“It's fine.” Zoro muttered gruffly, very slowly releasing Sanji's legs to let the blond lower them to the ground and find his footing.

“You sure,” Sanji implored, recovering his stance albeit unsteadily as his thighs continued to shake lightly, “Cause I really would like to...”

“I can wait till tonight.” Zoro assured thickly, though those words made Sanji's knees tremble dangerously. The unspoken promise of something amazing to come practically dripping from the sexual tremor in the man's voice. Sanji steadied himself with a hand on his Dom's shoulder as the rest of the feeling returned to his legs.

The initial high began to fade and Sanji was suddenly acutely aware of dull throb from his ass where the plug was still stretching him open. Sanji reached down, intending to remove the plug and hopefully clean himself up enough to be presentable when he went back into the restaurant, only to be stopped by a firm hand and a teasing, “Uh uh.”

“Wha-” Sanji started in confusion, frowning up at Zoro lightly.

“Keep it in the rest of the day, alright?” Zoro ordered quietly, Sanji whimpering in response as he continued, “You'll get a reward.”

Sanji bit his lip to keep from complaining. From past experiences whenever Zoro promised a reward he certainly did not disappoint, and this time was likely to be no different. If anything it could be even better considering how riled up Zoro was acting. The impatient way he barged in here and started this up was incredibly unlike the normally composed man; he seemed too easily agitated lately.

Steeling himself for the next few hours that were likely to be proverbial torture, he pulled his pants back on delicately, careful not to move too much. He felt almost as risque as the time he had went to work while in full bondage, but this time was marginally worse. Body still sensitive and tender from a fresh orgasm, and the object still penetrating him and moving in ways that were already starting to renew his arousal. It was gonna be a whole knew ballgame just trying to be normal out in public; let alone sit in a chair!

“Do I at least get to be privy to the reward for this challenge?” Sanji demanded childishly, wiping off the excess cum with a paper towel before crumpling it aggressively and tossing it in the trash.

Zoro grasped Sanji's jaw in a single grip, squishing his cheeks to distort the blond's exaggerated pout before pulling him forward into a sloppy, heated kiss. The Dom kissed like he was intent on leaving an impression, and by the time he pulled back Sanji had mostly forgotten his indignation and curiosity. Zoro gave one final reverent suckle on Sanji's lower lip before releasing his jaw and curling his face into Sanji's neck.

“I've been waiting so long to know what it would feel like to be inside of you.” Zoro groaned breathlessly into Sanji's skin, tongue drawing a long, slow line up the blond's jugular until he reached his ear. Teeth brushing the shell on his ear as he grinned through a moan, “And tonight I'll finally know...”

Sanji shuddered bodily as the words he had been waiting weeks to hear were whispered hotly into his ear, causing his skin to crawl and his palms to sweat. Body tensing against his will at the very thought of finally have the man inside of him – regretting the action almost immediately as he tensed around the plug – all he could do in response was give a needy whimper.

It seemed to be all Zoro had wanted to hear from the blond, and so he finally fully pulled away. Handing Sanji his earlier discarded shirt professionally, muttering with a soft smile, “I'll meet you back at our table.” Before ducking out of the bathroom and leaving Sanji alone with an uncomfortable mixture of satiation and arousal.

Staring at the door for a long moment before looking down at the cotton shirt in his hands, he tried to fight back the shocking knowledge that him and Zoro would finally be having sex tonight. It had been something that Zoro had withheld for so long that it seemed almost surreal to know that the wait was finally over. It took a full minute to set in, but the instant it did a chesire grin split Sanji's face. Pulling on his shirt, he stalked from the bathroom with eager intent; Zoro was gonna have his work cut out for him tonight.

TBC...


	14. Cuffs and Cognizance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta'd.

Sanji had to refrain from kicking Zoro's apartment down door in his agitation. Body thrumming in a constant state of unattended arousal, and he could swear Zoro was purposefully taking his time fumbling with the lock. When Sanji finally heard the deadbolt click, he couldn't have stifled the huff of impatience even if he tried.

Following Zoro into his apartment, he made a mental note to keep from talking. He had learned from the shibari incident that if Zoro started a scene in public, then the moment they got back to his apartment it was time to properly start. However, that didn't stop Sanji from fidgeting; he was already heavily considering just getting undressed right in the hallway...

Zoro seemed to note Sanji's silence and neared him, leaning into give Sanji a soft kiss before murmuring, “Very good.”

Sanji may be mute, but it didn't stop him from giving Zoro the most impatient and childish pouting face he could muster. It garnered a chuckle from the Dom, which was a good sign, and immediately followed as Zoro began making his way deeper into the apartment, presumably heading for the bedroom.

Upon entering, Zoro tossed the bag of items they had purchased earlier onto the bed as he shed his hoodie, tossing it over the back of a chair. Zoro set about pulling everything from the bag and laying it out on the bed, Sanji watched timidly from the doorway, not sure if Zoro wanted him to enter yet, and also not wanting to move more than he had to given his rectal situation.

“Take off your shirt and stand over there.” Zoro ordered absently, waving a dismissive hand toward the middle of the room underneath the rigging of hooks and metal rings on the ceiling. Sanji complied, eager to finally find out what Zoro intended to use them for.

Pulling his shirt swiftly over his head and tossing it on the dresser, he looked back up eagerly only to watch as Zoro picked up several of the new toys and left the room – presumably to clean them quickly – but Sanji had half a mind to tell the man that it wasn't necessary. Honestly, if they were right out of a sealed plastic package he wasn't too worried, but being forced into silence had him suffering in silence.

The man could not have been gone for more than a few minutes, but in Sanji's world it had felt like a damned eternity. His expression must have read his disdain because it garnered a chuckle from the other man whom neared him, new cuffs in hand, “Impatient, are we?”

Sanji didn't think he had ever executed a more savage and pointed look that read 'No fucking duh.' in his entire life.

Undoing the cuffs, Zoro locked eyes with Sanji and the blond immediately offered his wrists, the same way he had back at the sex shop, and watched fondly at the reverent way Zoro went about putting them on him. It was done with such carefulness and appreciation that Sanji could really see what Zoro meant by the fact that he really did get off on doing simple things like this for Sanji.

Upon finishing, Zoro looped a strap through the metal ring connecting the cuffs before reaching up to thread the other end through the ring bolted to the ceiling. The strap had a quick release system on it, and as Zoro began tightening the strap, Sanji let his arms be raised. 

Barely watching what he was even doing, Zoro seemed more intent on standing intimately within Sanji's limited space, body molded to Sanji's front as he gazed down heatedly at the blond. Face stiff with blatant want as his free hand lightly brushed along the skin just below the padded ring of the cuff. Pad of his thumb stoking gently.

Words mixed with moans were trapped within Sanji's throat as he fought down the urge to beg the man to stop teasing already, biting his tongue with the knowledge that speaking would cause Zoro to inevitably stop what he was doing. Which was incredibly counter-productive to his libido, so he opted for fighting down his impatient, and incessant need to talk in exchange for allowing Zoro to go at his own pace. No matter how maddening it might be.

“You've learned.” Zoro commented lightly, lips lowering to brush ever-so-gently against Sanji's jaw and sending a skitter of excitement across Sanji's skin. Sanji leaned instinctively into the touch, yearning for any contact he could possibly get with the man.

The plug had caused his arousal to reach a steady plateau where he was no longer desperately needy, but was still in a constant burning state of eagerness. It was like the shibari all over again, only this time instead of biting into his skin and causing him to become aroused, he was already filled; just unable to reach that final stage.

Zoro abruptly pulled on the strap, cinching it tighter through the loophole in the ceiling. Sanji's arms were jerked above his head swiftly, the leather slung snugly between the ring that linked Sanji's cuffs together. Sanji was left dangling with his feet barely on contact with the ground and his arms pulled taut above his head by the cuffs currently attached to the ceiling.

Glancing up swiftly, he struggled for a few moments, trying to pull his arms down only to find that leather had absolutely no give. Dropping his head back to meet Zoro's predatory gaze he realized that until their scene was done – or Sanji used their safeword – he would be unable to escape or do anything. Unless he somehow managed to pull the rigging from the ceiling, but that seemed incredibly unlikely.

“Mm.” Zoro grumbled in appreciation, the slight moan coming from deep in his chest as he circled Sanji. Eyes dragging up Sanji's bound form happily while he seemed to be contemplating something, “You look good strung up like that.”

Sanji shuddered compulsively under the critical gaze of the other man, inexplicably aroused by the predatory nature of his satisfied stare. It was confusingly erotic that being tied up and viewed like a meal was turning him on, but Sanji couldn't help but be smug that he was being watched in such a way. There was something primal surging in his chest and his breathing began to quicken in excitement.

Zoro's hand slowly slid up Sanji's side, rough fingertips dancing across pale, unmarked flesh as he watched Sanji's body with critical eyes. Clearly debating which part of Sanji he wanted to play with first and which part he wanted to expose to torture. A stuttering breath hissed from between Sanji's teeth as the calloused hand continued its stroking, leaving his body tingling from the short caress and yearning for a more heavy petting.

Pain was good, pain was fantastic. But Zoro had a way of drawing out the tiniest sensation – even the most gentle of caresses – and making it become utter torture. Patience mixed with erotic touches and heated glances was more painful than any short release whipping could ever be. Closing his eyes against the stark sensation of the man's hand on his side he tried to focus more intently on what was to come.

The hand suddenly left him and his eyes snapped open as he petulantly watched the man walk away. Picking something up off the bed he made his way back over to Sanji with the item held menacingly in his hand.

“Don't want the neighbours to hear you, do we?” Zoro mocked jovially as he let the freshly opened ball gag dangle from his grip, watching Sanji with a playful grin.

Sanji stuttered out a guttural moan of agreement, shaking slightly in excitement at properly being gagged by the man. If Zoro wanted to muffle him, then that meant he surely had something amazing planned that he didn't think Sanji would be able to keep his mouth shut for.

As Zoro moved near Sanji immediately opened his mouth obediently as Zoro inserted the bright red rubber ball into his mouth, looping the straps around behind and doing them up snugly. As he lowered his hands and pulled back, he was mere inches from Sanji's face, eyes watching heatedly as Sanji tried adjusting to the gag.

First switching to breathing entirely through his nose, and next struggling to figure out how to swallow with his mouth spread so open. After a few attempts where he jerked his head weirdly, he eventually got used to the sensation. Zoro seemed placated that Sanji wasn't going to suffocate, and turned back to the bed to once more go over all the items he had laid out critically.

Sanji took the small reprieve to watch Zoro, noting the strong, broad line of the man's back through his tight black shirt with a contradicting mixture of arousal and fondness. The man embodied so many things that Sanji had difficulty separating them when looking at the man.

There was a dominating prowess that was unbelievably masculine; his broad figure and sculpted body leaving you wanting, but at the same time a softness to his angular features that made him seem easily approachable. And as the man stood with his back to Sanji, the blond couldn't help but experience those intertwined emotions.

Unbearably turned on by the hulking figure of sexual embodiment, but also melting a little inside at memories of what it felt like to nuzzle his face into the back of the man's neck as he curled around him on rainy mornings on the weekend. Sanji was at constant vicissitudes within himself over the nature of the other man's body and the affect it had over him.

Eventually Zoro scooped up an object, tapping the item against his opposing palm as he made his way back over in front of Sanji. The rhythmic tap, tap, tap against his palm as he noted smoothly, “The gag suits you.”

Sanji inclined his head in what was supposed to be a sarcastic, haughty thank you, but probably looked more like a jerky shrug. Eyes falling to the small box in his Dom's hands that he immediately recognized as a pack of cigarettes. A frown instantly creased his figures; he couldn't fathom what Zoro planned to do with those considering Sanji currently had a gag in his mouth.

A weighted silence fell upon them, as Sanji couldn't speak and the talking was now left solely to Zoro; whom wasn't a very talkative person to begin with. A final sharp smack of the pack against his palm and a single cigarette was jerked up from the pack, which was quickly snatched up by Zoro as he tucked the rest of the pack in the singular breast pocket of his tee. The fabric already working to accommodate the man's massive chest, had to stretch even farther to fit the small box.

Rolling the smoke tantalizingly between his fingers, Sanji was already picturing how wonderful the smooth nicotine would feel resting in his lungs right now. It would no doubt help deal with the tenseness in his shoulders from having the plug inserted in him all day. The one he had had earlier on the way back to the car from the restaurant had not helped much.

“As promised I am going to fuck you.” Zoro explained simply, “But we're going to have a bit of fun first.”

Sanji honestly had no idea what the man had in mind, so he continued to look on eagerly. Failing to smile around the gag in confirmation of his excitement as he watched Zoro place the cigarette elegantly between his lips and wrestle a lighter from the back pocket of his jeans.

Sanji stilled as he watched the man cup the cigarette like he had done it a thousand times, flick the lighter with a sharp snap of his thumb, and then take a long drag. Hand falling away to show the illuminated cherry, Sanji watched as the bright ember crawled up the stick, before Zoro pulled it from his mouth and let out a slow stream of smoke. Billowing at first before rising in curls and wisps before fading entirely.

Zoro eyed the cigarette thoughtfully before turning back to Sanji, “Can't understand what you like about these to be honest.”

Sanji didn't try to gesticulate a response, in fact he had barely heard the man, far too occupied with the realization that not only had he garnered a new fetish, but somehow the Dom had managed to make the act of lighting a cigarette and taking a drag the most arousing thing he had seen in his short twenty-one years.

The way the man's thin lips had curled over the end, the elegant drape of the man's hand as he held the it between fingers, and the lightly pursed way the man's lips tensed as he blew out the stream of smoke provocatively. Sanji was far too eager to see the man do it again he was hardly aware of the man drawing nearer.

Standing inches from Sanji's body, Sanji watched greedily as Zoro once more placed the cig between his lips and took another heady drag, eyes fluttering shut for a moment as he let the smoke settle in his lungs. Lowering the cigarette, Zoro opened his eyes and blew a steady stream of the thick smoke down into Sanji's face.

Sanji instantly inhaled as much as he could through his nose, body shuddering at the relief that the small amount of nicotine gave him, but regretfully exhaling it. Smoke still lingered between them as Zoro leaned down to place an oddly gentle, and even a little apologetic kiss to Sanji's jaw as his free hand came up to stroke Sanji's side.

A gentle caress along the side of Sanji's hip before a sharp, jolting sting counteracted it causing Sanji to jump in his binds and give a muffled scream into his gag. Eyes wide, he rounded on Zoro, not entirely sure what had just happened before Zoro raised the cigarette teasingly. Sanji's eyes widening at the notion of what Zoro had, and was, intending to do to him.

Sanji twisted to see the glossy burn on his midriff – the size of a small dime – the skin around it already becoming a flushed red. It was semi-alarming at how arousing he found it, and marvelled at another kink Zoro had managed make Sanji discover. Glancing back up at Zoro eagerly, he gave a throaty moan that he hoped conveyed how much he wanted the man to continue.

Zoro's grin was colossal. Immediately taking another drag to make the cherry larger before flipping the cigarette expertly and pressing it against Sanji's collarbone this time. The next cry turned into a moan, once more muffled by the gag, and Sanji was suddenly thankful for Zoro's foresight because he probably would not have been able to contain himself.

Another puff, another touch of the flame. Sanji soon found himself arching into each twinge, the pain from each wound causing his skin to flare up until his whole body felt inflamed with burning pleasure. It was the same effect the flog had had on him; once getting past the initial pain, the swollen after-burn was a sensation that rivalled no other. It didn't help that each painful burn had his body tensing, muscles contracting hard around the plug within him and doubling the pleasure almost instantly.

Sanji's dick had gone from hard to fully erect by this point, and Sanji was impressed the button on his jeans hadn't given out yet. As the last singeing burn was felt on his lower back, Zoro pulled away the finished cig, tucking in into his pocket as Sanji gave a disappointed whine into his gag.

“You liked that more than I thought you would.” Zoro noted thickly, his own voice giving himself away as to how hot he must have thought the whole thing was too. “You little masochist.”

Sanji preened quietly, and watched with stilted awe as Zoro dropped to his knees, both hands cradling Sanji's hips as he placed reverent kisses upon visible burns that littered Sanji's stomach. Each gentle peck like a small apology. And Sanji once again felt that odd surge of fondness that seemed out of place given the heavy nature of their current sexual situation.

Kisses travelling lower until he reached Sanji's belt line – hands coming around to begin undoing the zipper – Sanji whimpering in gratitude. A bit of wrestling and Sanji was free from the confines of his pants, his cock standing fully erect from the earlier treatment. Round head full, and shaft thick from the amount of blood throbbing through it, he could even see a thick vein running the length of it.

Once his pants were fully removed Zoro was back to kneeling in front of Sanji, as the blond silently prayed that the man wouldn't tease him at a time like this. It seemed Zoro was in an overly giving mood, because he wasted no time giving into Sanji's desires and fully engulfing Sanji's cock into his mouth. Working down to the base in one smooth motion, Sanji could feel the head pressing against the back of Zoro's throat and had to keep himself from coming to that notion alone.

A long, slow draw back and Sanji was once more mesmerized by those amazing lips as they encircled him. Sanji was honestly debating which was hotter; Zoro's lips around his cock, or a cigarette. It quickly became a moot point as Zoro began sucking cock like his life depended on it and Sanji could no longer process any form of critical thinking.

Each practised suck had Zoro's lips tightening in just the right ways, tongue dancing perfectly in just the right spots, hand fondling his balls exactly as he liked it. It was making his knees tremble, slumping a little further in the support that the cuffs strung above his head provided. Moaning gratefully as Zoro gave another suck that had him deep throating Sanji's cock.

Drool was slipping around the edges of the gag to pool on his chin, his weight almost entirely supported by his arms at this point since his knees kept trembling. Sanji was so close he couldn't help but give a choked sob into his gag as Zoro pulled away, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before standing resolutely.

“I'm going to remove the gag now.” Zoro narrated calmly, “No talking.”

Sanji nodded quickly in understanding, and watched desperately as Zoro reached behind Sanji to undo the clip keeping the piece in place. Zoro was so close Sanji could see the tinge of red swelling the man's lips, and the blond twisted his bound wrists in agitation; wishing they were free so he could tangle his hands in his Dom's hair and pull him in for a kiss...

As soon as the large gag was removed Sanji immediately took in a giant inhale, before swallowing the excess saliva that had been trapped in his mouth. It didn't fix the fact that his chin was still dripping due to his moaning earlier, and a futile attempt to wipe it away with his shoulder only smeared it further up his cheek. The skin was still burning, and a little sore from being stretched for so long, but he ignored it as he turned his attention back to Zoro whom was currently removing his shirt.

Body arching gorgeously to the side as he pulled the shirt off one handed and tossed it into the corner, Sanji revelled for a moment at the Adonis he was currently being dominated by. Carved obliques sluicing down to tuck under his pant line, and bulging chest and abdominals covered in a light sheen of sweat that Sanji could only assume be from arousal. Sanji noted that the front of the man's jeans were awfully more snug than usual.

He could hardly believe that tonight was the night the man was finally going to take off those God forsaken pants and have his way with Sanji. His excitement was clearly showing on his face as Zoro smirked cheekily in response and bore down on the blond, hand immediately taking a sure grip on Sanji's throbbing cock.

“Ah!” Sanji gasped, “Ah! Z--”

“Close.” Zoro teased absently, gaze drawn down as he began working Sanji's shaft in slow, confident strokes. Starting at the bottom before drawing up, until only the head was visible in his massive grip; the motions beginning to work precum to pool at the tip.

“Look at you...” Zoro crooned adoringly, “Dripping, you're so hard.”

Sanji opted for giving a pitiful grunt, letting his head loll back to get lost in the sensation. This is what he had been needing all day. Each stroke had him tensing around the plug inside of him, his skin was aching from the burns Zoro had given him, and these finally touches to his dick were pulling it all together in a painfully amazing culmination.

“Do you want to cum?” Zoro prodded gently, hand steadily stroking the skin near the base of Sanji's cock as the blond was beginning to think he was going to pass out before ever reaching fruition. Taking the question as rhetorical as he made no motion to reply, but managed to crack an eye open and glance up at Zoro as the man watched him with that same steady, unbreakable expression.

“I said.” Zoro reiterated with a hint of annoyance, “Do. You want. To cum?”

Swallowing once more against his needy gasps he conceded obediently, “Only if you'll let me.”

A wide grin of approval immediately split across Zoro's face, teeth bared and eyes sparkling darkly. Expression breathing appraisal before reaching out a rough hand to grip Sanji's jaw tightly. Forcing Sanji's head back up to look at Zoro as the man murmured, “Good.”

“Learning fast.” Thumb stroking a happy path across Sanji's cheek Zoro continued, “You get rewarded for that.”

Sanji couldn't of stopped the needy whimper from climbing out of his throat even if he had tried, and as his jaw was released he let his head fall forward until his chin rested upon his chest. Panting wearily as he was beginning to feel a bit of stiffness arise in his shoulders. 

Honestly, he couldn't guess what Zoro's reward would be, but if it was anything to make him finally come, he would take it willingly. Zoro released Sanji's cock completely – which was the exact opposite of a reward in the blond's miffed opinion – and circled around behind him. There was a dull thud which confused Sanji for a moment until he felt a hot exhale on his rear and realized with a jerk that Zoro was on his knees.

Next thing he felt was a finger trail down his lower spine teasingly before pausing at the plug jutting out from inside him, giving an investigative push. Sanji instantly bit his lip to keep from cursing vulgarly at the sensation, tip of the warm silicon pressing directly against his prostate. 

“Good boy.” Zoro jeered, though what he was praising him for Sanji didn't have the capacity to figure out, too focused on the sudden feeling of Zoro gripping the end and beginning to pull.

A downright pornographic noise escaped from deep in Sanji's throat – and if it wasn't for the lack of touch he would have come instantly. The large base that had been hidden inside of him most of the day was stretching him wider as Zoro removed the plug with a laziness that bordered on criminal. Soon the largest part was removed and he could feel the rest of the plug being removed with ease.

It wasn't long before it was completely removed, Zoro setting it aside, as Sanji became acutely aware of the gaping feeling coming from within him. Muscles twitching to close, but staying open due to the day long stretch. It was the weirdest sensation he had probably experienced to date, followed by the most arousing as Zoro's tongue was swiftly inserted.

Sanji jerked, rigging on the ceiling rattling loudly as Zoro took a firm grip on Sanji's hips to keep the blond from escaping as he buried his face deeper into the blond's ass. Mouth reaching places it – nor anyone else's – had ever been before, as a saliva slick tongue delved inside of him to give exploratory licks.

Sanji was still properly loose from the plug but had closed enough that he could now feel every burning lick and teasing prod of Zoro's tongue as the Dom ate him out eagerly. Lips puckering over his hole before sucking wetly, mimicking the way the man kissed, before returning to try to get his tongue as deep as possible. Lube and saliva mixing within him, Sanji could feel it smeared across his buttocks as well as Zoro's chin.

Slumping in his binds Sanji drowned in the pleasure that was coursing through him from each erotic lick. Eyes permanently shut from the overwhelming sensation. And the whole time Sanji was so damned close to coming, dick leaking steadily as all he really needed was a touch to push him over. 

Zoro seemed to sense this, arms coming around to embrace Sanji more fully. One placed over his abdomen and holding him steady as the other circled around Sanji's cock to give three affirming strokes that had Sanji spilling over instantly. Whole body stiffening, before giving unwilling jerks as stream after stream of cum emptied onto the carpet.

Zoro for his part tightened his hold through it, keeping Sanji locked to him with his tongue inside him, and as Sanji came he could feel himself twitching around the Dom's tongue. It only furthered his orgasm as swirling colours lit up behind his eyes, and the unbelievable pressure that had been building in his balls all day was finally released. As the last shuddering spurt left him, he found himself hanging by only his arms as Zoro slowly pulled out of him.

Sanji hung completely limp for several minutes not caring, nor wondering what Zoro was doing as his entire world zeroed in on the aftermath of his orgasm and the indescribable relief that had come from finally coming. His sight still narrowed to a pinprick as his lower body throbbed dully from its abuse.

Sockless feet eventually came into his line of sight and he blinked heavily to try and remove the fog that was hovering around his head. Using his binds to pull himself back to his feet – albeit still on shaky legs – he followed the feet up to sculpted calves. Frowning as he could have sworn Zoro had been wearing jeans earlier. Looking higher he found with shock that the man's thighs were bare as well, and Sanji's head snapped up to take in the rest of the man, finding him standing fully naked in front of Sanji in all his glory. 

Sanji was speechless.

It felt like he'd been waiting forever to see the man in an absolutely full state of undress, and now that he was he did not disappoint. Each tanned portion of the man melding together seamlessly to form the masterful piece of human anatomy he currently found standing before him.

Wide shoulders bracketing a perfect sculpted chest, the muscle having a slight bulge from what had to be years of hard training. Leading down to his defined midriff, that Sanji itched to touch, already vaguely remembering what it felt like to have the mounds of perfect muscle under his hands. As well as those massive arms that Sanji adored sinking his fingers nails into, perfectly rounded specimens that lead down to corded forearms.

The final piece was Zoro's large hand which was currently cupping his naked cock – stroking it lazily as it shimmered with fresh lube – and Sanji was suddenly acutely aware of the reason for the plug, as well as the waiting. The man was daunting to say the least, and made the dildo he bought from him seem a little pathetic. Swallowing thickly, he hadn't realized how much the sight was making him drool, not to mention how his thought to be dead dick came back to life with amazing urgency.

Zoro didn't say anything, just smirked smugly at the reaction he had gotten from Sanji, Slowly making his way forward with an almost predatory gait, before stopping in front of Sanji, slowly stopping the precise stroking to his own cock.

Even as he was now, raised onto his toes and pulled up off the ground by the cuffs, Zoro was still taller than him and as the man wrapped a sure hand around him he realized just how Zoro was going to use this to his advantage. Hands coming under Sanji's thighs, he hefted him up easily, holding Sanji up by his legs as he rested against Zoro's chest with a relieved sigh and enjoyed the small bit of relief given to his shoulders. Already beginning to cramp up tightly, he flexed them and quickly rolled them before preparing for Zoro's next move.

Slick fingers prodded suddenly at his rear, causing him to snap his head up swiftly in a combination of excitement and tortured shock. He was met with a reassuring hush from Zoro, as the man diligently set to work opening him up. It didn't take much time due to the plug from earlier and how relaxed his body had become after orgasming.

Zoro's fingers worked into him in carefully practised motions, clearly taking his time more for Sanji's benefit than anything else. Which Sanji appreciated, but because as the moment he'd been waiting for finally drew nearer he was getting more and more nervous. It had been a long time since he had actually done anal with another guy.

Sanji inhaled as Zoro's fingers were withdrawn, and clung a little tighter to Zoro as he felt the man adjust underneath him. As perceptive as ever Zoro seemed to sense Sanji's agitation and turned his head to press a reassuring kiss to the blonds temple before beginning. Sanji stilled as he felt the bulbous head of Zoro's massive cock suddenly pressed against his lube soaked rear, and choked down a whimper at the terrifying prospects of what was about to happen. He had wanted this for so long, but it had also been such a long time he wasn't sure how ready he was to be properly penetrated and fucked.

Zoro eased his motions a tad, hand shifted down to open Sanji up a little further, gripping his ass and spreading him as he let Sanji have most of the control over the pace. Taking a steadying breath, Sanji began pushing down onto Zoro as the man tilted his hips up carefully.

The head and part of the shaft slid in fairly easily, hot flesh a remarkably better difference to cold silicone and hard plastic, causing Sanji to already become a little less daunted. Testing the waters he flexed lightly, loving the way Zoro stiffened under him and let slip a grunted moan, his hands tightening their grip on Sanji's ass. Sanji already felt so full, he could hardly believe he still wasn't fully seated on the man yet.

He must have been taking too long because Zoro started pulling him down once more in addition to thrusting up and Sanji found himself curling over Zoro with a jilted whine. Fuck, but the stretch was impossibly wide, not entirely sure if his body was going to be able to take it and a thorough pounding.

Zoro was finally seated inside of him and Sanji struggled to breath for a moment as the man's massive cock felt like it was actually going to tear him in half. The head pressing deep at his inner walls that caused a throb bellow his belly button, the girth of the man stretching him so wide it took all his effort not to flex and make it worse, and the long, heated length of his shaft within him pressing and putting pressure in all the right places.

Sanji found himself incrementally relaxing as his body very slowly adjusted to the invasion, the longer the stretch remained the more addicting Sanji was finding the sensation. And as he flexed gently to test how ready he was, the answering burn shortened his breath and caused his cock to twitch in interest. Starting to feel a bit more confident about being able to take Zoro, though still not sure if his body was ever going to fully relaxed for what he was expecting.

Zoro seemed to be growing impatient and began adjusting his stance, hands releasing Sanji to slide up his back in a soft caress. Without he support of the man's hands, Sanji was left to twists his hands up in the leather strap over his head, and tighten his legs to keep from falling backwards or even deeper onto the Dom's cock. 

It seemed to be what Zoro was waiting for and the man promptly turned his head to order swiftly into Sanji's ear, “Lift yourself.”

A whimpered response was all Zoro received as Sanji nodded to affirm that he heard the Dom's orders, taking a steadying breath to prepare himself, and then shakily pulled himself up. The motion had him sliding off of Zoro's cock, and numbly hanging for a moment as he was blessed with the relief of not being penetrated so thickly. His arms began to quiver from holding himself up, and a guiding hand on his tensed stomach from Zoro had Sanji realizing that the moment he lowered himself Zoro was going to guide himself back inside.

Another small whine slipped past his lips as the realization of the whole scenario set in, and the fact that Zoro was giving Sanji some control over the situation. Yet at the same time, giving him absolutely no control at all. Zoro was the puppet master and Sanji merely had the choice between a lesser of two evils. Hang forever until his arms could no longer support him, or fuck himself back down on Zoro's cock.

He hadn't realized how tense his arms were until a cramp began forming in his left hand he gave in and lowered himself. Trying to keep it as steady as possible as Zoro slipped back inside, a little easier this time. He let his head fall back with a breathless shudder; the stretch was unbelievable, but was beginning to surpass the unpleasant stage and arousal was beginning to pool in his gut.

“Again.”

Once more lifting himself up, his arms stung a little as the slow, relieving slide of Zoro pulling out had him letting out a guttural moan. Zoro's guiding hand still on his stomach as his other held his cock readily as he allowed Sanji to do what he will; though there wasn't much option to what he could do. The pace was his, but he didn't know how much longer he could keep it up.

Lowering himself, he slid easily back onto Zoro, air rushing from his lungs in a panted gush as Zoro met Sanji's drop with a rough snap of his hips that had Sanji immediately shying away and pulling himself up into another pull up. And it continued in a small cycle that eventually had Sanji warming up enough to begin to thoroughly enjoy it.

“Good boy.” Zoro crooned hotly against Sanji's neck, skin jumping up in goosebumps at the feeling of the moist air across his already sweat slick skin, “You're starting to learn your place.”

Legs tightening impossibly around Zoro's hips, he tried to ignore the stinging in his shoulders as he panted heavily. Zoro for his part merely stood calmly in Sanji's tensed embrace, letting the blond rest his weary head on Zoro's shoulder as his free hands came up to trail light paths over Sanji's shivering body. The caresses setting Sanji on edge as he became weary of how long Zoro was planning to let him recover before continuing on.

“I've imagined what it would be like to be inside you,” Zoro murmured thickly, his own arousal coating his voice as he let out a trembling exhale on Sanji's neck, arms tightening their grip on Sanji, “Fantasy's were nothing in comparison.”

Sanji couldn't find the words, so he just nodded vigorously and gave a moan of agreement, lifting himself in shorter, faster motion to work Zoro in and out of him at a more steady place. His body finally adjusting properly so he started to crave each reentering slide that tore him open. On a final down stroke Zoro halted Sanji's motions with a hand on his shoulder, before the other slid to his hip and he gave only a moments warning before snapping his hips upward.

A cry of shock tumble from Sanji's lips but was swiftly replaced by screams of pleasure as Zoro finally let go and began fucking into Sanji like that had both been wanting for weeks now. Hips pistoning as fast as heir position would allow, and Sanji already using the cables above him to his advantage to get himself in time with the man.

The room echoed with the sound of lube slick flesh slapping roughly together and eager moans bouncing from the walls as both other let themselves go entirely. Sanji had never been so full, so hard, so thoroughly filled before and he couldn't understand how he had lived without it before. Each throbbing slid of the Dom's cock making his limbs feel numb and his head dizzy.

Everything was becoming too much all too fast, his body was aching everywhere, his skin felt like it was on fire and his eyes could no longer see anything but darkness. All that was left was sensations that were too intense to catalogue as he simply prayed for his own release to finally rid him of the pressure that was surely going to drown him. Sanji found himself tightening around Zoro as his orgasm built, the pain only serving to usher it along.

“Oh, fuck, Sanji.” Zoro whispered in a tortured tone, the words causing a shiver to run up Sanji's spine at just how desperate the man sounded. He'd never heard the man sound so wrecked before, though if it was anything like how Sanji was currently feeling then he could relate.

Vaguely, Sanji could hear a click and feel some fumbling near his wrist, before suddenly all the tension on his hands released and he was falling. The sensation halted as soon as it had begun as strong arms caught him and he was hefted into a secure hold, wrists still cuffed as his arms fell around Zoro shoulders and he leaned back just enough in the hold to find himself eye to eye with the Dom.

Inches from each other, breathing the same air in heavy, aroused gasps. Sanji found his gaze locked with the lust filled eyes of the other man, something utterly desperate and feral shadowing his face. Each breath he let out had the faintest wheeze to it like the man was restraining himself or something.

Resolutely curling his cuffed hands into Zoro's messy hair, punishment be damned for speaking he murmured, “Give it to me.”

An absolutely tortured whine slipped from Zoro's throat and the man turned swiftly, walking them over to the bed and practically tackling Sanji onto it. Barely getting a moment to recover from the jostling of Zoro's walking, he was pinned down to the bed by a pair of hips. He took only a moment to get adjusted so they were both on the mattress and then he pounded into the blond with a ferocity that had clearly not been released before.

Sanji's eyes instantly slid shut as he tilted his head back and screamed, the man's cock hitting far deeper than it possibly could have from their earlier position. The head of the Dom's cock repeatedly ramming into him, hips snapping against his ass with brutal thrusts, the swollen shaft pressing against Sanji's prostate. It was all becoming too much as Sanji kept his hands tangled in Zoro's hair as the only thing left keeping him grounded.

Each hard, thrust was met with a ragged scream from Sanji, throat raw and body aching from everything Zoro had put it through. Dick slapping against his stomach with every punctuated thrust from the man above him, his orgasm roaring inside him.

Sanji could feel Zoro's motions growing more erratic; his thrusts speeding up as the precision began to falter, his breathing growing steadily choked and uneven, and the hand that had been on his ass was now grasping desperately. Everything was beginning to meld together in a heavy shroud of stinging pleasure and twisting pain, and all Sanji could think about now was his need to come.

A hot mouth smothered his, gagging him as efficiently as the ball gag had done earlier and rendering him even more breathless than before. Slick organ sliding across Sanji's tongue as the biting kiss spoke only of appreciation and adoration, and also of the mindless state the Dom was finding himself.

Zoro pried his hand from Sanji's rear, immediately finding Sanji's dick and working it vigorously, not bothering to try and tie it to his thrusts. Though it didn't matter; Sanji could already feel his balls drawing up, the twisting sensation in his lower gut rising, and the breathlessness suffocating his lungs. Tensing from the building sensation he was acutely aware of the massive organ still pumping into him, and his tightening seemed to be the final straw.

A final thrust as Sanji felt the man pulse inside him and Sanji was tipped headlong over the edge into darkness. He could barely feel Zoro riding out his own orgasm with jerky thrusts, as Sanji came with with bodily jerks that he couldn't control. Eyes rolling back into his head as he screamed through his release, each spurt near painful. 

Sanji couldn't stop shivering, his body jerking unwillingly from everything assaulting him all at once. The strain on his arms and body kept him from being able to calmly come down from his excruciating high, and after being restrained from coming for so long his hips wouldn't stop shaking despite how raw his cock currently felt. He felt empty and drained, and above all else; completely and thoroughly fucked.

It took an age, but he finally cracked an eye to see Zoro braced above him, eyes shut with a hardened expression as he seemed to be dealing with his own demons. An occasional tremble in his arm, or leg, completely giving away how affected the stoic man actually was by the whole thing. Despite not being able to move, Sanji couldn't stop the ecstatic grin from sliding lazily onto his face.

Zoro took in a deep, steadying breath before slowly opening his eyes and looking down at Sanji, noting the grin with a tiny scoff before dipping down to kiss it gently away. Staying tangled around each other as they each other several long minutes to gather their wits.

Eventually Zoro pulled out – as slow and gentle as possible – but still causing Sanji to gasp at the moment within his overly senstized body. When the man's dick finally slid out Sanji groan quietly in his throat as his obscenely stretch ass twitched around nothing. Slowly closing as he felt cum already steadily leaking out of him; the other man had come fucking buckets.

They'd need to wash the sheets.

Once out, Zoro fully collapsed beside Sanji letting out the most satisfied groan Sanji had ever heard the man make. And as Sanji turned to look at his Dom he couldn't stop himself from breaking out in a light chuckle. Instantly the hardened exterior the man wore when he was playing Dom had fallen away leaving a dopey grinned man in its place. Features softening and making the man easily appear several years younger.

Zoro grunted, eyes closed, the sound his best imitation of, 'What?'.

“Nothing.” Sanji murmured softly, just continuing to stare fondly at the man in the wonderful, post-orgasm haze still drifting around him. It was by far the most amazing sub-space he had experienced to date, and hands down the best sex he had ever had. Orgasm riddled brain already urging him to drift off as Zoro appeared to already be asleep if his agape mouth was anything to go by.

It was only when he tried to adjust his position so he would be more comfortable to pass out that he realized not only were his hands still cuffed, but that his arms weren't responding. Fear lacing his fatigued voice as the more rational side of him began freaking out at the notion that his very important arms weren't responding to him, “I can't feel my arms...”

“It's okay.” Zoro's deep voice grumbled after a short pause, disproving Sanji's theory that the man had fallen asleep, “They're just strained; I'll make it all better.”

With what seemed a bit more effort than it should have been, Zoro pushed himself up and crawled over to Sanji. Removing the cuffs quickly before carefully arranging the blond until he was laying on his stomach with his head properly resting on a pillow. The next thing he knew he felt Zoro straddling his lower back as his hands set to work at massaging soothing patterns into Sanji's shoulders. 

Sanji was still a bit preoccupied with the sudden sensation of the older man's rear on his back that he didn't quite notice the first few rough prods Zoro's thumbs made to the more knotted areas of his shoulders. Taking Sanji's wrist in a delicate hold he began rotating Sanji's arm in a practised, easy motion that was already loosening the muscles. As he did the same with the other arm Sanji flex his fingers experimentally and lifted his elbow, finding that almost all the motion had returned, although he was still rather stiff.

Setting down Sanji's other arm Zoro's hands returned to Sanji's upper back and neck, expert hands working the muscles and tendons in glorious movements. Sanji had to refrain from moaning once more at the way his tendons were singing from the touch. Hitting a few nerves had Sanji whining in delight as he arched into the hands currently working his body once more to the peak of perfection., “You have a gift.”

Zoro barked a laugh, “Thanks.”

“No, seriously.” Sanji mumbled into the bed, the massage long since gotten rid of the cramping and was now lulling him into a relaxed coma, “Your job is like... super useful, you know?”

“Immensely.” Zoro agreed.

Sanji's eye lids became heavy and he was beginning to drift in and out of consciousness when he distantly felt Zoro's hands cease their movements and the man begin to climb off of him. It wasn't until an incredibly annoying prod to his side had him cracking open an eye with a petulant whine, “Whaaat?”

“C'mon.” Zoro cajoled lightly, still poking Sanji in the ribs annoyingly, “We should get you showered. You probably don't want to fall asleep that messy.”

“I beg to differ.” Sanji mumbled into the plush down of his pillow he currently was face down on, turning his head away from Zoro and batting the man's hand away with a lazy swat, “I could fall asleep right now.”

“Not an option.” Zoro grunted, “I'd feel terrible.”

“Would you?” Sanji drawled skeptically.

“Eh, probably just be exhausted by your childish behaviour,” Zoro shrugged, “But I could pass it off for benign care.”

“How charitable of you.” Sanji drawled as continued to make absolutely no motion to get up – eventually hearing Zoro give a resigned huff – the bed shifting as Zoro got up. He knew Zoro was probably right, but had already accepted his fate to deal with everything in the morning.

Sanji heard water running from the bathroom and assumed Zoro intended to shower, which was why he cracked an eye open curiously when he heard the water shut off and Zoro making his way back to the bedroom. The man clearly already cleaned himself up – some water still dripping from his bangs from washing his face – looking remarkably less sweaty and lube covered.

A blue face clothe was clutched in the man's hand and Sanji had to refrain from saying something embarrassing in response to Zoro's thoughtful nature. Instead opting to just jest softly, “Aw, you actually do care.”

“As if.” Zoro snorted, crawling back onto the bed as he quickly set about cleaning Sanji, wiping off all the lube, cum, and sweat that had been smeared across Sanji's body over the course of the day, “I just don't want to wash these sheets tomorrow.”

“Uh huh, yeah. Sure.” Sanji agreed lazily, not bothering to argue with the man, they both knew the sheets would have to be washed regardless. Sanji kept the quips to a minimum as Zoro finished up cleaning him up, noting out of the corner of his eye as the man tossed the used clothe into the hamper in the corner of his room before reaching for something on the nightstand. 

A cool sensation was soon smeared on his back, dabbed in localized areas that Sanji quickly realized were the cigarette burns still littering his back. The spots not yet hurting, but definitely were feeling a little more inflamed as his high continued to drop. Sanji assumed Zoro must be applying more of the Arnica he was so fond of, the cream instantly soothing the injuries and causing them to tingle gently.

“Mm.” Sanji hummed in appreciation as Zoro finished on Sanji's back, rolling the blond over to start on his front, lidded eyes staring up at Zoro tiredly, “I don't deserve you.”

“Probably not.” Zoro teased, getting the last of the wounds on Sanji's stomach before recapping the tube of ointment and tossing it on the bedside table. Setting about getting the covers out from under Sanji and properly over the two of them, pulling Sanji's back securely against his front once everything was sorted after reaching over to turn off the night lamp.

“What time do you have work tomorrow?” Zoro murmured quietly into Sanji's hair, curling closer around the blond as his arm slunk around Sanji's waist.

“Eleven.” Sanji responded quietly, already feeling himself drifting off. It was amazing that he had stayed awake as long as he had.

“My alarm is set for eight thirty; if that works?” Zoro offered.

“Perfect.” Sanji hummed, as he finally succumbed to the darkness of sleep, lulled away as the hot, secure form of Zoro held him as they both fell asleep.

~X~

Sanji awoke to a faint drizzling, the light coming through the window flat in the grey overcast that hung over the city, raindrops staining the pane. Zoro was still fast sleep, so Sanji got out of bed as quietly as possible, fetching his jeans to fish out his phone. Turning it on, he found that it was just a little past seven, Zoro's alarm not set to go off for another hour at least.

Nestled under the blankets, the man looked far too peaceful for Sanji to wake him, so he set about his morning routine as quietly as he could. Hopping in the shower immediately to get rid of the last of the lube and cum that hadn't gotten cleaned last night. Spending a bit of extra time slowly wiping away the Arnica that had been on his burns, a little shiver running down his spine at the memory. It was definitely something him and Zoro would have to do again.

Towelling off gently, he found that the burns seemed to have healed remarkably overnight, and Sanji made a mental note to put some more ointment on the wounds before leaving for work.

After getting dressed – and spending nearly five minutes looking for one of his socks – he made his way out of the bedroom while pulling on a spare hoodie of Zoro's. In the kitchen he made himself a pot of coffee, adding the necessary creme and sugar before padding over to the balcony, opening the sliding door as quietly as possible before stepping outside. The damp morning chill had him shivering a little as the last vestiges of sleep were chased away, grateful that the balcony had covering so he wouldn't get soaked by the rain.

Cupping the hot mug in his hands , he looked out over the horizon of the rainy city. Mist clinging to some low lying parts as others were still shadowed in heavier rain. It was the unavoidable weather on the west coast in spring, though soon it would let up entirely and allow for a scorching summer.

Sanji found himself staring out at the city for a long time, mind adrift over last nights events and how amazing it had all been. Between the profound emotional leap forward in their relationship outside the sex shop, to the paradisaical sex they had achieved, Sanji was left a little at awe of how quickly their relationship was growing. Not to mention the feelings that were surfacing rather swiftly that had Sanji a little wary.

So lost in thought over himself and Zoro, he jumped a little in surprise as the patio door suddenly slid open. Sanji turned to see Zoro step out onto the balcony, before shutting the door once more and leaning back against it. His own mug of coffee in his left hand, and his pyjama pants slung dangerously low on his hips. The cool morning air had goosebumps crawling up the revealed skin of the man's torso, and Sanji gloated quietly to himself at finally knowing exactly what the man's whole body looked like under those forsaken clothes.

“Morning.” Zoro murmured softly, not seeming the least bit bothered by the chill. Taking a sip of coffee as he continued to watch Sanji contentedly.

“Morning.” Sanji responded automatically, turning around fully and facing the man, resting back against the railing. A silence fell between them as the obvious conversation point of last night was yet to be discussed, yet there was no real need to. Both of them understanding each other perfectly as to how amazing it had been for both of them.

Opting to veer away from the heavier conversation points plaguing his mind, Sanji asked casually, “How'd you sleep?”

“Like a rock.” Zoro grumbled happily, making his way over to Sanji, his own eyes drifting out to scan the city before turning back to the blond. Arm circling his waist possessively before dipping down for a coffee infused kiss which Sanji returned with vigour. When the man eventually pulled away Sanji was flushed and close to spilling his coffee.

Steadying his mug, he looked back up at Zoro to find the man watching him with an adoring gaze, his eyes a softening hazel that matched the creamy coffee Sanji had made that morning. It caught Sanji a little off guard at how intense the man was looking at him and it had all the confusing emotions – that he was incredibly, newly aware of – come bubbling to the surface rapidly.

“I...” Sanji started before he could even consciously decide on what the hell he was doing. The word hung heavily in the air between them as Sanji was confronted with the unbelievable weight that came with the simple words to follow. Yet, it remained caught in his throat; too terrified to utter them aloud in case they disrupted the delicate balance between them.

Eyes locked with the other man, Zoro waited quietly – expectantly – as Sanji realized how much he really did truly, and irrevocably love this man. Zoro had brought a steady order to his life that had before been chaos; though the man didn't even know it. However, despite how real he found his feelings, it still seemed far too soon to be admitting them to Zoro.

“I had a great time last night.” Sanji finished lamely, mentally berating himself on his cowardice, but feeling confident in his decision.

“Me too.” Zoro agreed softly, leaning forward once more to give the blond another tender kiss, the rain still falling around them as they lost themselves in each other.

And even though Sanji hadn't said the words that were dying to claw their way out of him, he was content. So utterly content with his life that he could hardly believe he was this happy. Zoro had not only made his life better, but had made him a better person; something that he would forever owe the man.

TBC...


	15. The Lady in the Library

A warm breeze whistled across the courtyard of the local campus as it chased the final traces of spring from the town and whipped innocently at passing students. Rustling the dried, yellow grass that had suffered from the chill of passing winter and causing the delicate arms of nearby trees to bend as the fresh buds and leaves of coming summer bloomed.

The bustle within the large archives centre in the University was at its usual lull as students chatted in hushed whispers, browsed the momentous isles of books, and typed furiously at the provided computers as they hurried to finish end of term papers. A dull continuous thud could be heard near the front door as the sour mouthed librarian stamped steadily at all the returned textbooks and articles that she would have to eventually sort and return to their shelves.

Keimi giggled softly as Hatchi groaned morosely at the Advanced Biology and Physiology of Western Marine Mammals and dropped his head forward to thump softly against the large textbook. His curly hair even more sporadic than usual from all the nervous ruffling and exasperated tugging that the young man had put it through.

"This is too much, Keimi." He gave a muffled groan, "I'm never gonna memorize all of this stuff by next week."

"Yes, you will." Keimi chided with a gentle smile, "You'll do fine, and once I finish this paper I'll help you."

"Okay." Hatchi murmured, raising his head from his book with a near teary eyed expression, "You're the best."

"Now finish that chapter." Keimi laughed as she pushed herself up from her chair, "And watch my things; I need to go grab a reference."

"Alright." Hatchi agreed with with dulled enthusiasm as he turned back to his book while Keimi made her way off towards the deeper section of the library. Making her way past the more popular Social Justice and Historical sections she eventually found the Psychic and Irregular Studies department.

Near the back of the library, the section was more dimly lit than the rest of the prestigious library, but the selection of books was marvellous beyond compare. It was part of the reason she had chosen this school; their department in the study of brain psychology and potential psychic abilities was extremely advanced in its field. She was in third year, and after this month's exams she would finally be able to start on her own thesis next year.

Rounding the corner into the isle she needed, she immediately scrunched her nose at the disturbing smell that reached her. The janitor often forgot about this corner of the large library – and it sometimes reeked of mildew – but it appeared as though a student must have left a sandwich or some form of food to rot and had yet to be cleaned up. Breathing through her mouth to avoid the sour flavor in the air, Keimi focused on finding the book she needed for her paper.

Casually walking down the row of magnanimous bound books, fingers ghosting gently across the bindings as she scanned the titles and authors; trying to pinpoint the exact one she had taken out a week prior. Letting out a small laugh of success, she hooked her finger on the top of the spine and pulled it free. The old cover was faded and the title almost impossible to make out as she absently flipped it open to a random page.

Frowning at the slightly stained page, she flipped a few more pages further into the book and found that the stain was much more distinct in colour; the faded brown becoming a more darker red. Heart pace quickening in shock she flipped a bit further until she was near the centre of book and the large red stain that started near the top of the pages and dripped down was unmistakably blood.

Book falling from numb hands in horrified shock she let her mouth fall open terror as she cast a slow glance around the shelves surrounding her. It became apparent the long her looked that the books weren't quite as rigid as the should of been, some of the smaller ones wrinkled and crumpled like they had water damage.

A terrified thought struck her and she swiftly jumped into motion and grabbed the book beside it, flipping it open to find the exact same stain dripping down the pages of that text as well. Falling into a panic she began ripping books from the wall, flinging open the pages and finding the thickness of the stain only growing as she got higher up the shelves.

When the area was practically clear she stood horrified in the middle of a mountain of books piled around her feet and the shelves in front of her covered in a sticky layer of blood. Body frozen in fear as ice slid down her veins, she slowly glanced up, eyes following the thickening trail of blood that went up shelf after shelf.

As her gaze locked onto the top shelf, her eyes widened and jaw fell open as a long, high scream left her. Echoing throughout the library as she stared up at the mangled, and blood drained body of the older woman. Face gaunt, ebony hair trailing from her in a mess, and dark empty eyes staring down at Keimi soullessly.

~X~

The past week had easily been the best week of Sanji's life. Not only did he finally have all of his affairs in order and was properly applied for school, but his job was going well, and his time spent with Zoro was mind blowing. They had hardly accomplished anything beyond coming home from work and copulating indecently. It was like now that they had crossed that initial line, all restraint had broken.

Zoro was more creative than ever, the sex was absolutely indescribable, and their aftercare had Sanji pampered beyond belief. The other day Zoro had drawn a large bath afterwards, putting Sanji in before crawling in after and massaging all the kinks out of Sanji's body from the long day. He had eventually fallen asleep resting on the man's back and had only woken up when Zoro had heft him out to towel him off before dragging him to bed.

Sanji's hips had matching bruises from where he had managed to annoy Zoro just enough on Sunday morning to convince him to stop cooking breakfast and fuck him against the counter. It had taken some inventive persuasion on Sanji's part – pressing his boner against the man's ass while he was facing the stove – before Zoro finally conceded. The pancakes had honestly been the best the man had ever made.

At the rate everything was going between them, Sanji could easily admit that it was perfect, and he wasn't readily going to let this flow they had going get changed. Even though there were things he wanted to admit to the man that were still swirling around in the back of his mind, he purposefully mashed them down in exchange for the amazing rhythm their relationship was currently on.

"You sure you don't want a ride to work?" Zoro offered for what felt like the umpteenth time as they made their way down the stairs of Sanji's apartment complex, "It's just a few blocks past my work."

"I know." Sanji responded, double checking his laptop bag to make sure he had everything he needed for the day, "But then you have to double back, and traffic is horrendous."

"You know I don't mind." Zoro pointed out as he held open the front door to the building, and if Sanji knew any better he'd say the man was pouting.

"Seriously," Sanji grinned, refraining from making fun of the man, "It's fine. I like taking the bus anyway."

"Okay." Zoro finally conceded, but he seemed put out. The man never pouted, but he jutted his jaw in a way that was incredibly childish and reminded Sanji of a kid being told he wasn't allowed any ice cream until after dinner. Eyes intent on where he was walking, he didn't notice Sanji's gaze, and the blond couldn't help but notice that the man's hair was still in need of a haircut.

"Hey," Sanji cajoled, coming to a stop in front of his apartment as he reached out for the other man. Zoro allowed himself to be pulled in for a quick kiss before Sanji reached up and carded his hand playfully through the soft dyed locks, "I'll see you at your place after work?"

"Yeah." Zoro nodded, batting Sanji's hand away as he smoothed his hair back with his hand so it wasn't falling onto his forehead anymore, "I'll be back from work by then; dinner'll be ready."

"Oh god," Sanji groaned lovingly, giving Zoro a bit deeper kiss this time, "You're a saint."

"You'd be surprised how many times I've been told that." Zoro chuckled quietly before clarifying, "It comes with the job."

Sanji took a moment to imagine all the physio patients he went through on a daily basis, and all the massages and movements he'd have to do with people to help with either injured or strained limbs. Considering how amazing the man's massages were after sex Sanji was certain he got told daily by patients that his hands were a damned gift.

"Not surprised at all." Sanji admitted as he finally pulled away from the man, "But I do need to catch my bus otherwise I will need that ride."

"I'm tempted to hold you up longer then." Zoro mused, but his hands slipped into his pockets, signalling that he wasn't planning anything. Watching Sanji fondly as the blond started walking backwards away from the other man, "See you tonight."

"Absolutely." Sanji agreed with a large grin before turning and heading down the sidewalk towards the bus stop on the corner of the street. It was practically beside the front door of his apartment which made his life infinitely more easier. Once properly in front of the sign he cast a glance back finding Zoro gone, though not expecting to see him in the first place.

As he began digging out his headphones so he could listen to some music on the ride he cast a casual glance around the other bus stop attendees. There were a few people that he knew – not by name – but simply because they caught the same bus to work in the morning as him, along with a couple strangers and an older woman whom always got off the bus at the park downtown.

This morning she was engrossed in a newspaper, the front page falling down flaccidly, but Sanji was still able to catch the word 'Killer' and his stomach dropped instantly. Pulling out his phone, he brought up his internet and searched, 'Seattle serial killer' and was not disappointed by the surplus of articles that bombarded him.

Between now and the last time he had searched up the incident, the amount of interest had doubled exponentially. There were twice as many support and donation websites, and pages to help the families of those who had lost someone, as well as tons more that were broadcasting missing peoples reports in hopes of finding anyone that might not be involved with the serial killings.

There were other sites devoted to citizens that were doing their own investigation on the killings and trying to discover who the phantom killer was. A lot of websites had every link, article and mention of the killings since they first began, and postings of certain missing persons reports that they believed matched the M.O. of the killer.

It seemed that the horrific brutality of these murders had caused it to become of international wide interest as many of the articles and websites were now in other languages as well. Many news stations that covered things in Europe even had small stories up online.

At the top of all the search results were the recent news articles dated that day, and clicking on the newest link, he found an article that seemed to be similar to the one on the front page of the old woman's paper labelled,

Seattle Killer Strikes Again

Scanning through it quickly, he found out that the body of that missing woman had been located in the library of a local college by a student. The details around how the body was found or what was done to it were kept at minimum as it seemed the papers were being a bit more tight lipped over the more gruesome details. Sanji idly wondered if the police had anything to do with that, maybe in some vain attempt to calm the public.

Flipping through a few more articles they all had the same gist, and so he turned his interest over to any news broadcasts, immediately finding one from earlier that morning and hitting play.

It was once again footage from the front of the Seattle Police Department, though the amount of news coverage had easily doubled since last time as the entire courtyard in front was packed full of reporters. From where the camera was situated you could see easily over fifty people crammed up front holding their own microphones and cameras, and there were no doubt more behind where this camera was filming.

Chief of Police – Commissioner Smoker – was once more in front of the stand, with his Captain standing by, her expression as stiff as ever. A few other officers, as well as some government looking officials stood in the background behind the chief as he addressed the crowd.

"In light of this recent discovery," Smoker stated gruffly, "This situation has now become an interest of national security, and of concern to the federal government. That is why from now on, the Seattle Police Department will be collaborating heavily with the FBI in regards to this case."

Sanji's eyes widened at the mention of FBI, and from the way the crowd erupted into shrieks and questions, he wasn't the only one surprised by this. Smoker seemed to have gotten a bit better at handling his public speaking and waited with a pinched expression as the crowded died down before continuing.

"The CIRG[1] and NCAVC[2] has sent a response team to help analyze these killings in hopes of catching the murderer, as well as a Behavioural Analysis Unit[3] that specializes in the psychological profiling of serial murderers." Reporters were once more screaming questions but Smoker continued on, "I will now turn the stand over to the head of NCAVC and the Chiper Pol 9 response unit for further statement; Mr. Lucci."

It was then that Sanji noticed the people that had been standing behind the Chief – dressed in impeccable black suits that stood in sharp contrast to the light blue of the police that were present. The man that initially stepped forward had an imposing aura about him – an eerie danger that Sanji could feel through the footage – stopping in front of the podium and scanning the crowded critically.

He commanded the attention of the crowd far better than Smoker had done, his intense eyes made more intimidating by the sharp eyebrows drawn down in a scowl. Long black hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and his facial hair was impeccably trimmed into an artsy goatee that spoke volumes about the man's need for perfection.

When he spoke, there was a danger to his tone that had a chill going down Sanji's spine, "Thank you, Commissioner Smoker."

He remained quiet for a long moment as he didn't seem to be the most talkative of people. Just as he was about to speak again the bus pulled up in front of Sanji. Pausing the video, he quickly boarded, paid his fair and found a seat near the back to keep playing.

Hitting play, Mr. Lucci began speaking firmly, "The FBI has decided that these incidents can no longer go unabided by the government. Considering their nature we feel that the utmost effort must be made to stop any further incidents from happening."

"INCIDENTS?!" A voice from the crowd shrieked with outrage, as the crowded jostled to see whom was interrupting the man. Even Mr. Lucci turned a lazy look over to the woman whom could distantly be seen, her blue hair looking oddly familiar as she continued, "MY SISTER'S DEATH WAS NOT A FUCKING INCIDENT!"

And then Sanji instantly recognized her, she was the woman that had marched confidently into his work and dumped an entire – partially melted – slushy on Ace's head before marching back out again without a word. She seemed to have a knack for getting a point across.

"CALL IT WHAT IT IS;" Nojiko screamed, "MURDER!"

"We understand your distress-" Mr. Lucci began calmly but was swiftly cut off.

"MY DISTRESS?!" Nojiko cried indignantly, and as she continued speaking some of the audio was lost before it came back in faintly, "MY DISTRESS IS THAT THE POLICE HAVE SAT AROUND DOING NOTHING TO STOP THIS AS MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE TAKEN; IF IT'S SUCH A MATTER OF SECURITY WHY HAS NOTHING BEEN DONE BEFORE NOW?!"

At this point guards have come and are trying to gently escort the hysterical woman from the area – Sanji's not even sure if she's supposed to be there or not since it seems to be all reporters. She partially let herself be taken as her anger seemed to have melded into tears, and she screamed one last time through her sobs, "WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP HER?!"

After Nojiko is lead from the crowd, a jilted silence falls over the reporters as every eye once more turns to Mr. Lucci – whom doesn't seem at all rattled by the outburst, but still looks regretful. Once the lull has reached near uncomfortable levels Mr. Lucci eventually spoke.

"The FBI and the SPD have made this case top priority." Mr. Lucci voiced sternly, "Rest assured the culprit will be caught. No further questions."

Turning away from the stand with finality, the short speech was obviously unwelcome as the reporters erupted in questions and indignant screeching for more information into the case than was being released. But it was all ignored as the man headed straight into the Police Department; his coworkers that had been standing back in the shadows following after him swiftly. Sanji got a glimpse of a tall, blonde woman, and a broad shouldered man, before they were out of sight.

Once they were gone, Smoker stepped forward reluctantly, obviously not looking forward to dealing with the angry mob left behind in Mr. Lucci's wake. Begrudgingly leaning forward towards the microphones on the stand he muttered, "We look forward to working with the FBI on this matter; and shall give another statement once they have been briefed on the case and given opportunity to look into it."

His voice could barely be heard over the reporters but he continued anyway, "Curfew is still in affect; please stay safe."

Turning his back on the stand he too left, with Captain Tashigi following afterwards stiffly, though Sanji could see in her gaze the worry that was tracing her brow. As the video ended Sanji was left sitting dumbfounded on the bus, as he catalogued everything he had just seen.

The fact that the government was getting the FBI involved was incredibly good news, but also meant that the situation was far more dire than the police had been leading everyone to believe up until now. If there really was absolutely no evidence left behind at the crime scenes then not only had the police reached a dead end, but now the FBI was going to have their work cut out for them.

How much could they possibly advance the case if they literally couldn't find anything?

Though Sanji had seen enough movies, and cop dramas that there was always something that could crack a case besides evidence. They mentioned a psychological profiler; which meant that they were going to start looking at this from a different angle which was good. But as everything currently stood, the murderer was still strongly at large and clearly had no intent of backing down.

The bus lurched to a stop and Sanji got off, dazedly making his way through the mall as his mind was a buzz with thoughts surrounding the case. It wasn't until he stepped in the store and saw Ace waving at him cheerfully that he pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and gave a fond wave back.

~X~

As interesting as they news report had been that morning, Sanji was soon able to forget about it as he turned his attention towards customers. The situation now in the hands of the FBI made him feel more relieved than he had in weeks, and it was clearly showing on people's faces as well. Due to the recent attacks, there had been an anxious lull that had fallen over the city, but now that they had one of the top investigative teams in the world working on it; it seemed everyone was breathing a sigh of relief.

Sanji grunted as he set down the final box of stock that had arrived earlier that morning. Puling out his keys, he used one of them to tear the tape from the packing job and flip open the cardboard to inspect all the new merchandise they had received. Bending over, he started pulling out all the fresh phones and setting them aside until he felt the presence of a customer behind him at the counter.

"My my, hello Sanji." An eerily familiar voice crooned, "Don't you fill out a shirt and tie well?"

A shiver shot down Sanji's spine at the familiar voice, turning swiftly to note with horror that he hadn't misheard that dreadful tone. The man looked a bit less flamboyant outside the club, in a simple white button up and oddly coloured slacks, those sunglasses still present, and blocking his piercing gaze.

The last time he had been forced to meet those eyes he had been sick to his stomach, and even though the man was standing innocently before him now, the memories of their last encounter were fresh in his mind. Sanji choked down a repulsed swallow before leaning over the counter slightly and accusing in a hushed tone, "Wha-what the hell are you doing here?!"

"I had to see you again." The man simpered playfully, "Hoped you might reconsider my offer."

"No, I mean-" Sanji started before sputtering, "And no! What the hell? No. And I meant; what are you doing here? How the hell do you know where I work?!"

"Shame." He pouted childishly, "But I'll think you'll soon find yourself thinking my way."

"God, you're dense." Sanji scoffed, glancing around to make sure Ace or any of his coworkers hadn't taken notice to his panic before turning back, "And answer the fucking question; how did you find me?"

"There's not many people named Sanji in Seattle." The man shrugged in a bored manner, "And this was listed as your place of employment, so I figured what was the harm in popping in and saying hello."

"Ok, fine." Sanji snapped, "Hello. Now get the hell out."

"My you are feisty; I like that." The man crooned, "But is that any way to speak to a customer?"

"Excuse me?" Sanji balked.

"You are." He waved an airy hand, completely oblivious to Sanji's indignant sputtering on the other side of the counter, "Anyway I should be going, but do think over my offer a bit more seriously this time."

Glancing over the rim of his sunglasses Sanji was met once more with those piercing eyes that pinned him to the spot and there was something in the man's tone that belied his innocent words. Sanji couldn't help but feel an underlying threat, and only stared back quietly as the man replaced his shades and pulled something from his pocket.

Sliding a card across the table along with some sort of plastic object, "Here's how to contact me."

The man turned gracefully and began making his way out the store, Sanji waited until he was out of the store completely before he finally looked down and picked up his card. A glossy creme with sharp black modern text that only had a number, flipping it over in hopes of anything else to identify this man, but all there was was a logo that resembled an odd smiley face. Frowning, he glanced down at what else the man had left and noted a pair of car keys.

Snatching them up he ran out of the store after the man, cursing him for probably leaving them on purpose to make Sanji follow him. True enough, as Sanji caught up with him, the man immediately turned with a cocky grin, "Already? I must admit I'd thought you'd take a bit more time to persuade..."

"Answer's still no." Sanji snapped, holding up the keys, "You forgot these."

Unreadable behind those sunglasses, the man remained stoic for a moment before giving only a soft smile as a tell and stating, "I didn't forget anything."

Sanji watched him turn and begin to walk away, confusion lacing his features as the man gave a terse wave over his shoulder and said, "Enjoy your weekend, will you darling?"

Leaving Sanji alone in the crowded hallway of the mall, people occasionally bumping into him or scowling because of his lack of movement. Watching until the tall blond disappeared completely into the crowd. Eventually he looked down at the keys in his hand, the horse emblem glinting freshly under the sharp neon lights, as the unsettling feeling in Sanji's gut grew ever stronger.

~X~

Sanji tossed his third smoke angrily onto the pavement at his feet, squashing out the cherry with his heel as he was already fumbling to pull out his fourth. Hands unusually steady for the amount of agitation currently flowing through him and causing him to puff aggressively on his newly lit cigarette.

He'd been standing outside the mall for the past twenty minutes, furiously working his way through a pack of smokes as he debated heading for the buses or giving into his curiosity. The logical side of him was screaming at him to just go to Zoro's, that playing into the games of this ominous man was probably a very bad idea, but his more intuitive, curious side was dying to know what exactly the man was up to.

And there was also a third part; the part of him jittery with anger and wariness over being stalked by this stranger. From their encounter in the club, and what he had seen of the man's sadistic nature; he wasn't somebody Sanji wanted to even get remotely involved with.

The harsh, acrid smoke of the finished cigarette hit his lungs and he spat the finished butt onto the ground before stomping it out as well. Hands itching for another, he jammed them into his pockets to stave off the urge and cast a scowl out into the vast parking lot of the mall. It would take forever to find the car; he had no idea where the man had even parked it, and Zoro was probably home right now making him a hot dinner...

Heaving an annoyed sigh he turned away from the bus stop and strode purposefully out into the lot, eyes scanning the slowly emptying parking spaces. Occasionally pressing the alert button on the keys, he had nearly lapped the mall and was in an even fouler mood when finally he heard a distinct chirp and the saw the flashing of lights.

Slipping between two cars to get into the next isle, he stopped short of the gorgeous automotive that lay in front of him. The curvaceous angles of the car highlighted by a silken red paint job that glowed in the afternoon sun sinfully. Silver highlights glistening and top coat reflecting the sky above; as Sanji stood slack jawed before the car that had to be practically brand new. Clicking the key one more time to make sure, he still couldn't believe it as the car beeped in response happily.

How much money did the man have? That he could just go around buying cars worth three years of Sanji's salary, and just go handing them out to strangers he fancied.

Fumbling to pull the card out of his pocket once more, he desperately flipped it over in his hands to try and find anything that could tell him who this man was. All that he had was that logo and a number – and he sure as hell wasn't going to call the man – but the logo might give him something to go on.

Pocketing the card once more he neared the car – still weary as to touching – though curious now as there might be some information inside that would help him figure who this man was that was so keen on gaining Sanji's affections. Unlocking the with a click of the button, he covered his hand with his hoodie's sleeve and carefully pulled open the passenger side door. The fresh smell of new car assaulted him, but for some reason bothered him even more that this jackass didn't even buy it second hand. What was he playing at?

Placing a careful knee on the seat he leaned in and cast a look around, but there was nothing in the car that looked out of place, or could possibly belong to the other man. Still keeping his hand covered he opened the glove box, he found the owner's manual which confirmed his suspicions that the cars' model was of this year, along with a purchase agreement that had Sanji's pulse spiking.

Noting his own name across the top with credulity, he quickly unfolded it to find his name under the ownership agreement, along with all the details of purchase – apparently bought today. At the bottom labelled Purchaser's Signature was an embellished, curly signature that Sanji had never seen before. It must've belonged to the man, but also did no help in identifying who he was.

After a little more rooting around it was clear there was nothing else of interest in the car aside from the paper he was currently holding. The man must have bought the car and immediately had it brought here before coming in and locating Sanji. Very presumptuous of the man, but perhaps since the car was practically unused he might be able to return to the man – or at least the dealership – with minimal hassle.

Replacing everything back into the glove box he quickly climbed out of the car, already regretting having touched it lest it make it difficult for him to return or get rid of. Closing the door as gently as possible he locked that car once more, pocketing the keys as he stared down the vehicle with a rising sense of dread.

He had no idea what the man was capable of or who he even was, but he was definitely not above playing games and toying with Sanji. And it also seemed apparent that money was no object for the man either; which made it all the more terrifying that the man was so dead set on getting Sanji's attention. How far would he go?

Purposefully turning his back on the car he made his way back across the parking lot towards the bus station. He was going to have to figure out who his man was and make a plan as to how to get this man to leave him alone. The only good thing was he was pretty adept at finding out information about people.

~X~

Dinner was ate in jilted silence, Sanji trying to make light conversation but continually found himself distracted by the events that had occurred earlier that day. He kept trying to figure out how to explain what had happened that day to the other man, but each time he opened his mouth the words died in his throat and he returned to shoving his dinner around his plate.

Sanji had no idea where to even begin and the ill gotten feeling that had come along with the appearance of the overbearing man and his requests had him on edge. He was itching to grab his laptop and start researching – with a number and logo to go off of he might have an easy time finding out who this man was – but blatantly ignoring Zoro would probably make the man suspicious.

"You seem agitated." Zoro noted as he began putting away their dishes, pulling the blond out of his musings as he swirled his beer casually in his hand. Sanji watched quietly as Zoro rinsed them lightly before stacking them neatly to soak in the sink for later washing. Eyes following Zoro's hands as he dried them with a dish towel before continuing, "What's wrong?"

Sanji's mouth opened instinctively, wanting to tell the man everything that had happened today, but the words just wouldn't come. As he stared up at the man that watched him with nothing but softness and concern he found himself choking on words that should have been easy to say. He wasn't quite sure why he was hesitating, but the longer he did the more scenarios played out in his head, and the more he realized how exactly the man would react.

If Sanji told him he knew immediately that the man would become livid; not only because the mysterious man was continuing to pursue another Dom's sub, but also because he was crossing some serious personal boundaries with his stalker-like behaviour. It would lead to Zoro being in a downright foul mood and probably end up calling the other man with death threats, not to mention Zoro might want to get the police involved.

And police were the last people Sanji wanted to talk to given his record...

"Nothing." Sanji mumbled slowly, lifting the bottle and downing the last of his beer with a large swig. Placing the empty on the counter he ignored the keys pressing into his thigh in his pocket and looked up at Zoro and saying again more confidently, "Nothing."

Zoro didn't seemed convinced, tossing the dish clothe aside on the counter with a speculatively eyebrow, "You sure?"

"Yeah." Sanji reaffirmed with far more resolve and a grin, "Just a rough day at work, and you know, the news this morning."

It was a cop out, but it was the best he had currently. Mere mention of the serial killer always effectively killed any conversation due to the morbidness of the subject. And it was a lousy move, but if he was going to explain the situation to the other man than he would prefer to do it with all the information possible.

"Ah." Zoro accepted with a small nod, growing quiet as he too seemed to be recalling the news that had been plastered all across the city today, "That makes sense."

"Anyway," Sanji urged, hoping to get Zoro's mind as far away from Sanji weird behaviour as possible, "I'm going to hop in the shower; long day and all that."

"'Course." Zoro agreed instantly, though still not seeming entirely sold, "There's some patient's paperwork I need to finish up anyway."

"Thanks." Sanji chirped, plastering on a grin as he slinked by the other man and pressed a chaste kiss to his lax lips, "And thanks for dinner."

"My pleasure." Zoro murmured quietly, watching him go with a quiet, sombre expression that had Sanji's guts twisting in guilt as he slowly walked away. It was the smallest of lies, but still the first time he had ever felt the need to be dishonest with the man, and it was tearing him apart inside.

In the bathroom he immediately stripped his clothes and turned on the hot water, waiting for it to heat up as he scowled at the drain. He'd never felt guilty about lying to someone before – he did it all the time – but for some reason hiding something from Zoro made him feel like he was the worst person imaginable. And he couldn't help but feel it was his growing emotions for the man that were responsible.

Stepping under the spray he closed his eyes and reminded himself of his earlier rationalizations. It was best he just handled this as quickly and quietly as he could without the risk of authorities getting involved. The last thing he needed was cops questioning him and possibly finding out about his scamming and general misdeeds. Anyway, it wasn't like the man was threatening Sanji or anything; he just wasn't taking a hint.

Using the man's card Sanji could find out who he was and try to stop the problem at the source – mail the car keys to him and transfer ownership of the car back to him – and if that didn't work then at least he'd know who he was dealing with and when he told Zoro the Dom might be a bit easier to control than if Sanji mentioned that a complete stranger was following him. But hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

First things first though, he needed to convince Zoro that everything was perfectly normal – Sanji had a pretty stellar idea on how to do that – and as far as Sanji was concerned everything still was. Turning off the shower and stepping out, he snagged a towel and ran it over his hair a few times before tying it around his waist.

Casting a glance in the half foggy bathroom mirror he ran hand over his jaw as he noted that his stubble was getting a tad rough and needed a trim. Mentally adding it to his ever growing list of things to do as he gave himself a final once over before he strode purposefully out of the bathroom and towards Zoro's work area, intent on distracting the other man.

Finding the door already open as he slunk inside with a wide grin. Zoro glanced up, his eyes slightly obstructed by his reading glasses, but Sanji nonetheless caught the man's gaze flickering down to his state of undress before back up again. This was going to be far too easy.

"You look chipper." He noted simply, though by this point Sanji knew Zoro was just trying to deflect from himself and how affected he was.

"Hot shower was just what I needed." Sanji agreed with a wide grin as he began slinking up around the desk towards the other man, "You in the mood for something a little different today? I'm feeling adventurous."

Adventurous wasn't the right word, but Sanji was a confusing concoction of emotions from his earlier encounter today – along with the added adrenaline – he just wanted something to completely take his mind off it. And hopefully to distract Zoro as well from his slightly off behaviour. Plopping himself down on the edge of Zoro's desk he smirked down at the man cheekily.

Zoro kept eye contact with him for a moment before glancing down at Sanji's still slightly wet midriff which was right in his field of vision, blinking innocuously behind his thick rimmed glasses. Slowly glancing back up, Sanji could tell victoriously that the man was fully distracted.

"What'd you have in mind?"

Sanji grinned victoriously, it was practically given consent from the Dom. "Wanna finally show me what you use a leash and collar for?"

Zoro's expression didn't change as he continued to stare up at Sanji calmly, and the blond waited with bated breath for the Dom to make the call. In the end he didn't care too much over what they did, but his curiosity over it the past few days since the sex shop had been eating at him and he was dying to know.

"Alright." Zoro conceded sharply, snapping his book shut and setting it aside on his desk firmly as he stood, removing and placing his glasses on the cover for when he eventually returned, "but keep in mind that this is a special treat."

Sanji smiled honestly for the first time since he had gotten to Zoro's place, excitement bubbling over as he followed Zoro to his bedroom. Practically skipping after the man, as they entered and the Dom closed the door after them. Sanji immediately removed and tossed his towel aside and was rewarded with a soft snort from the Dom. Waiting patiently by the bed he watched as the man pulled open one the bottom drawers and pulled out a rather simple looking leash, followed by a collar.

It was a simple, elegant black. Thick – as though made from proper leather – with intricate and detailed stitching along the edges. The front was fitted with a single, silver buckle with a metal loop beside it where the leash was clipped on innocently. It clearly didn't get used often since it looked brand new, and the leather of the leash was still stiff and unbroken; it made Sanji wonder what Zoro had planned that he never got around to doing.

Walking over to Sanji, Zoro began undoing the buckle as Sanji titled his chin upwards to allow the man better access. Looping the collar around Sanji's neck, the Dom was careful not to get any hair caught under it, before gently doing up the buckle on the front. The inside was lined with a soft velvet that instantly felt heavenly on his neck, and Sanji was pretty sure he was going to be disappointed once he had to take it off.

Sanji examined the leash delicately, noting the fine leather and stitching before being completely and utterly diverted by Zoro removing his shirt in a swift motion. Cotton tee tossed aside he immediately started on his jeans as it seemed that Zoro wasn't planning on teasing him today. Sanji blinked once widely as the Dom dropped his jeans along with his boxers in one smooth motion before looking up at Sanji again.

"That was quick." Sanji snarked.

"You're already naked." Zoro pointed out simply as he stepped closer to the blond.

"Well, yeah," Sanji guffawed nervously, as he suddenly realized he really had no idea what Zoro had planned for him, breath stuttering as Zoro tucked his face under Sanji's jaw. Nuzzling the collar almost affectionately before placing a few chaste kisses to the skin just above where the leather sat, "B-but that's kinda the usual for us."

Zoro just grunted his agreement, but Sanji could feel the man smiling against his neck ever-so-slightly and it completely gave the man away. The Dom slowly began turning, taking a step back with the end of the leash in his hand, before falling entirely back onto the bed and giving a harsh tug on the leash.

"Ooh. Oh! Okay, bed it is." Sanji stuttered nervously as he was dragged forward roughly, stumbling over the edge until he was kneeling between Zoro's sprawled legs. It was a position they definitely had never been in before and Sanji was already bodily showing interest in it, "I was expecting some floor and boot licking but this is totally okay with me."

"This isn't pet roleplay." Zoro clarified with a roll of his eyes, wrist rotating as he wrapped another loop of the leather around his hand effectively shortened the length of the leash, "And from now on you do as I say, understand?"

Sanji couldn't help but quirk a smile at Zoro's annoyance before nodding excitedly.

"You can talk," Zoro amended further, "but if you get excessive I will gag you."

"Cool." Sanji grinned.

"And finally, keep in mind that no matter how in control you are going to feel; I'm still in charge." Zoro choked up his grip on the leash even further as he dragged the blond forward, inches away from his lips as he growled, "Understand?"

"Crystal clear." Sanji breathed back heavily, itching to lean forward and properly slant his mouth over the other man's. Whenever the man started talking like this it immediately got Sanji riled, and each time he spoke and his lips pulled back to reveal his teeth Sanji wanted them on him; biting, nipping, anything.

Zoro's scare tactic only lasted so long however, and the dominating growl soon morphed into a grin. Releasing the leash he looped the strand of leather behind Sanji's head, taking ahold of each end and tugging Sanji's head down for a playful kiss. Sanji had no idea where this was headed but he wasn't about to deny himself some kisses from the older man. They danced on the line between lovingly tender, and needfully harsh; like the Dom still hadn't made up his mind on how he wanted to act this evening.

Eventually Zoro pulled away, arching up to reach the desk beside him and grab the bottle of lube. Lying back down and placing it in Sanji's open palm. Sanji just knelt between the Dom's knees for a long moment in confusion as he tried to figure out what the man wanted him to do with it. Zoro caught the look and raised a speculative eyebrow.

"O-oh MY GOD." Sanji gasped, open mouthed as he worked his lips soundlessly, "You-you want me to...?"

"I would not be in this position if I was expecting anything else." Zoro stated bluntly.

Sanji held the bottle of lube loosely in shock for a long moment before springing into action and fumbling it in a desperate attempt to get the lid open. Pouring an ample amount onto his fingers, he closed the bottle with a snap of the lid before rubbing the jelly around his fingers, warming it up eagerly.

Slipping his hand down he prodded at Zoro's entrance eagerly – having never been allowed to do so before – and could already feel his dick swelling happily at the feeling. Lube making the area slick and pliant almost immediately, he traced delicate circles before pressing a tip inside. Zoro twitched, body tightened before relaxing properly – it was clear the man hadn't done this in a while.

Breathless, Sanji watched the man's face as he began working the lubed slick finger in and out of him slowly. The Dom's eyes closed with a slightly pinched expression as he seemed to be intently focused on keeping his body relaxed and open. He seemed to be enjoying it though as his cock was near fully erect, and resting proudly on his stomach. Sanji gave in and leaned forward, giving it a lick as he pressed his finger in all the way to the knuckle.

Zoro's knee jerk reaction was instantly worth it, body tightening around his finger, hips spasming, hand tugging the leash sharply. Sanji couldn't have stopped the small chuckle even if he wanted to. Zoro cracked open an eye at that and stared down at Sanji warningly, but the threat just wasn't there; a softness in its place.

Sanji felt his face flush at the raw intimacy that passed between them and tried to stomp down that familiar surge of want and adoration for the man that was threatening to make him say something he might regret. Instead, keeping his mouth full and busy seemed like the best option and he used his free hand to grip the base of his Dom's cock and slid his tongue over the top before quickly dipping his head down.

Zoro groaned beautifully at that and Sanji hummed happily, he had sucked the man off before, but never like this. They had done rough and kinky during a scene where most of the pleasure Sanji got from deep-throating the man was the rush of it, or other times outside their scenes where he did it to tease and get Zoro riled up. But this was solely for Zoro's own benefit – letting Sanji make him feel good – none of it was for Sanji; and it felt great. Sanji could easily see why Zoro got such a rush from it.

Keeping up a steady rhythm, he continued to bob his head up and down on the man's cock as he fingers kept working deeper inside of him. Eventually making it up to three, Zoro was managing to keep his composure but only barely; it was quite clear the man was closer to breaking than he probably would ever admit. A final, urgent jerk on the leash let Sanji know that the man was ready for more.

Pulling away completely, Sanji sat back on his haunches and remembered Zoro's words about him feeling in control. And even though he really, really did; he had a feeling that it was best to wait for consent on what to do next from the Dom.

Zoro rolled himself over – keeping a tight hold on the leash – as he came to rest on his knees in front of Sanji. The sight was almost too much and had Sanji making a pitifully inhuman noise before shuffling forward. Reaching out with shaking hands, it almost felt like taboo to be grabbing his Dom's hips in such a way, but nonetheless had his dick throbbing painfully in excitement.

Grabbing the base of his member, he slowly guided it inside the other man as he pressed forward slowly. The heat and pressure was unlike anything Sanji could remember experiencing, and as he slid forward even more the tightness had his chest stuttering. Sanji was breathless, fighting the urge to come after being seated in the tight channel of bliss that was Zoro; no one he had ever been inside before could compare to this moment.

It was cut short as Zoro made an impatient noise and jerked the leash roughly, tugging Sanji forward until he was sprawled across Zoro's back with his hands bracing himself on the bed as he bracketed the larger man. The fall had him pressing in even deeper and a tortured moan fell from his lips as Zoro seemed completely unfazed aside from the small bit of irritation in the line of his back.

"Do not make me regret this decision." Zoro growled with another forceful tug, though Sanji very quickly saw through the man's obviously fake demeanour, "I don't like being kept waiting."

"Yes, sir." Sanji bit out cockily, though his tone falling flat in his breathless state. Already rearranging his grip on Zoro's shoulders and adjusting his knelt stance. Pulling back as far as the leash would allow before snapping his hips forward intently.

They both groaned in unison – Sanji in pleasure – and Zoro's a bit more needy and primal. It sparked a new desire in Sanji to want to hear more sounds from the usually quiet man and he set up rhythmic yet brutal pace that had the Dom releasing pleasured moans that he was clearly trying to keep at bay.

It soon became animalistic as Sanji rode out his need into the other man as Zoro swivelled his hips back to embrace every thrust perfectly. His jerks on the leash perfectly timed to keep Sanji tight against him and in his proper place, and Sanji was really starting to see the risque appeal of fucking with a collar on. Cause no matter the position he was in, somehow he still felt the one being completely and utterly owned.

Sanji could feel his cock swell larger at the thought alone and readjusted his hips to slide in deeper. He knew he moment he had found the right spot because Zoro's grip faltered for just a moment, causing a jerk in the leash and he tried to swiftly regain his hold. But it was enough for Sanji to know that he now had Zoro right where he wanted him. Readjusting his grip to grab onto the headboard, and gripping Zoro's shoulder desperately, he pushed himself up off his knees and used his full strength to thrust down into the man.

Zoro's gasps were becoming more and more erratic, his grunts more guttural, and his grip on the leash kept it borderline rigid. His other hand was under himself and the Dom was clearly moments away from reaching completion as Sanji himself was fighting the urge to come. Sanji gave particularly punctual thrust into the other man that seemed to be the catalyst Zoro needed.

Body going completely rigid for a moment, Zoro came with an intensity that had him tightening impossibly around Sanji's cock, and all the blond could do was close his eyes against the sensation. The leash was yanked forward sharply so Sanji was pinned against Zoro's back as he felt every convulsion from the man inside and out. A final, shuddering thrust from Zoro's hips tipped Sanji over.

Pinning his hips to Zoro's ass as tight as he could he emptied himself deep inside the other man, choking around air as wave after wave of spunk jerked from him. It finally came to an end with a stutter of his hips before collapsing forward onto the other man, just barely keeping his grip on the headboard to keep from fully crushing him.

Lights were dancing behind his eyes, and time faded as he focused solely on catching his breath after the mind shattering orgasm he had just experienced. Zoro seemed to be in a similar place, but apparently recovered quicker as he waited till Sanji's breathing slowed before making a small grunt of discomfort.

Sanji took the hint and pulled out with a hiss, his dick far too sensitive after what it had just been through as he collapsed to the side as the exhaustion of what he had just done hit him like a ton of bricks. Zoro was already turning over and undoing Sanji's collar – tossing it and the leash onto the floor – before dragging the blond forward into a rough yet eager hold as he placed reverent, excited kisses across Sanji's face, eventually ending with a lingering one to Sanji's lips.

"Don't do that often, huh?" Sanji inquired with a cheeky grin, trying not to sound too disappointed that that may have been one of the only times Zoro would let him do that.

"Not often; no." Zoro muttered bluntly, his hands continuing to trace careful patterns into Sanji's skin, though the aftercare wasn't entirely necessary this time. Their scene hadn't been really intense so much as it had just been nice and kinky. "But I wouldn't mind doing that again..."

Sanji instantly perked up at that, his earlier fatigue gone, head snapping to look at Zoro as a mischievous grin began spreading across his face. Zoro was already groaning and rolling away from the blond, arm coming up to cover his face and muffle his voice.

"What was that?" Sanji pressed cheekily, "Are you missing my dick already?"

"No." Zoro grouched, "I didn't say anything; your hearing is going."

"What exactly is it that you would not mind doing again?" Sanji pressed on with fake wonderment, Zoro rolling even further away from him with a pained groan as Sanji erupted in cackles. Sanji crawled after the man and sprawled on top of him still giggling, "C'mon, let's hear you say it."

Zoro remained embarrassingly quiet, as Sanji began prodding at the man which quickly devolved into tickles, which had Zoro jerking around and fully attacking the blond. There were several moments of half attempted wrestling, before Sanji was pinned since he hadn't been able to stop laughing long enough to actually put up a fight.

"You're the worst." Zoro grunted from his position on top of the blond.

"Please!" Sanji guffawed, "Just say it once more."

Zoro stared down at Sanji balefully, Sanji grinned back up at the man eagerly, it held for a few more moments before Zoro gave the smallest of eyerolls and glanced to the side. Cheeks the lightest shade of pink as he mumbled, "I would like to do that again."

"Awesome." Sanji gloated with a wide grin, to which Zoro just responded with another eyeroll before ruffling Sanji's hair into a tangled, curly mess as he pushed himself up and away from the blond. Sanji couldn't even begin to be annoyed and just sat and continue to watch the man through his messy hair.

"I'm gonna go shower." Zoro explained with a tired groan as he pushed himself up from the bed, his tone not at all sounding eager, "Still have some paper work I need to finish too."

"Alright." Sanji replied with a smile, feeling a little sorry that the man had to continue working even after he had left his job. "I'll probably stay up and read a little or something."

"Feeling better?" Zoro pressed, clearly having not easily forgotten their earlier conversation at dinner. Sanji's face softened at the look of concern on the man's face and idly wondered what he could have possibly done to deserve someone as good as this man.

"So much." He mumbled quietly, smiling as Zoro leaned down to give him a peck on the lips before pulling back.

"Good." Zoro nodded sincerely, finally seeming to believe Sanji as he turned and made his way into the bathroom before shutting the door behind himself.

Sanji watched him go, and with him all of his peace of mind and minute happiness went with him. Leaving Sanji alone in the bedroom haunted by a myriad of dark thoughts. Dropping his head into his hands as his guilt over lying to Zoro once more twisted in his guts like a knife, the nervousness over this stranger stalking him rattling through his veins, and the never-ending fear of the murderer roaming the streets swirling its way through his mind like a hurricane.

TBC...

 

A/N:

Unbeta'd. Will edit properly later.

[1] – Critical Incident Response Group

[2] – National Centre for the Analysis of Violent Crime

[3] – Behavioural Analysis Unit

All there are divisions within the FBI that are directly responsible for handling issues of murder, and serial killings in the USA. I won't delve too deep into the


	16. The Crucifier

Sanji listened to the sounds of the running shower for several minutes as he stared at the wall of the bedroom quietly. Their earlier sex had only managed to distract him for so long from the myriad of concerns that were rattling around in his head. And as much as he wanted to curl up under the blankets and pretend it all wasn't happening, there were still matters that he could take into his hands and try and fix.

With some reluctance, he slowly pushed himself up and retrieved a pair of his sweatpants that he had left at Zoro's. He was here so frequently now – and vice versa – that they each had a large amount of clothes and items at each others places. A fact which would normally make him preen, instead made him feel even more guilty for his current deceit.

Though pouting wouldn't help fix the problem. Finding out who this man was, returning his car, and getting him out of his life was what would.

Snatching his laptop out of the bag along with the card, he made his way out into the living room and settled down in the corner seat of the couch with a leg tucked under him and his computer balanced on his thigh. Waiting for it to boot up as he flipped the card over in his hands once more hoping for any other clues beside a phone number and an obscure logo.

It really wasn't all that helpful, so who ever this man was he was either important enough to not warrant putting his name on it, or he did some unsightly things and didn't want his name to be shown. A ding signified his computer had opened, and he placed the card number up above his keyboard for reference as he set about – hopefully – tracking the number.

Pulling up Google he first tried putting in the number to see what he might be able to find. When the search results came up he was not surprised to find practically nothing on it. The tracking of the area code pinpointed the number to be from Seattle, but that was already fairly obvious, and no address was listed any where in connection to the number so it didn't belong to a landline.

Next he tried a GPS locator system for cell phones that he had developed. It was similar to ones that could be found online to locate a lost cell phone but instead it scanned websites, data bases, and any other online systems for records connected to the number. It was one of the many other ways he was able to scam people in the past.

When the program pulled up nothing for the number he found himself actually a little shocked. The man must have had some sort of GPS blocking enabled on it, which meant he really didn't want to be found. It also meant that this was likely the man's personal number, and was not connected to a business, address, or company in any way.

A little put off, Sanji instead flipped the card over and studied the odd smiley face once more. Now that he actually looked at it with a clear head, he found the symbol to be oddly familiar, but unable to place where from. Resetting Google be began typing in keys words in hopes of getting a reaction.

Trying a jumbled mix of 'smiley face', 'logo', and 'Seattle'; the expected responses popped up. A Wikipedia link leading to a complete explanation and history on the Smiley, a couple sample images of smiley faces, and several links to Nirvana websites, among other things.

Letting out an annoyed breath he shortened his search to simply 'smile company logo Seattle' and hit search again, beginning to realize he really had nothing to go off of to find this man. As the page loaded and the sample images for the image gallery were displayed above the search results, Sanji nearly knocked over his laptop in shock.

Several images of the exact smile logo were staring back at Sanji and he found his hand shaking – in excitement or nervousness he could not tell – as he swiped across the track pad to click on the image. Navigating through several links he eventually sourced the image from its original website and brought it up.

The logo belonged to Smile Toy Factory that was based out of Seattle, and the website was a shopping sight with an abundance of childrens toys for sale. It didn't take more than a Wikipedia article on the company to find the founder and owner; Doflamingo Donquixote.

The picture of the man provided on the page was a lot different than the actual man that he had encountered at the bar and at his work. This man had his hair slicked back professionally and wore a suit that probably cost more than Sanji's annual salary. Tall, menacing, and clean cut, it would be easy to mistake this man and the one stalking Sanji as two separate people.

Doflamingo.

So, that's who Sanji was dealing with. 

It definitely made a lot more sense now as to why the man had so much spare money to be throwing around in Sanji's direction. The man was billionaire in the toy business and aside from the website had franchises set up all throughout the states. There was one in the mall Sanji currently worked at – though he had never bothered going in – and now he knew why the logo was so vaguely familiar to him.

Poking around through a few more websites and articles on the man, it only took a little bit more snooping to find his address and make a note of it on his phone. He still wasn't quite sure how he wanted to deal with everything, but if worse came to worse he could simply drive the car to the man's house and drop it off.

Closing his laptop with finality, he slouched for a moment on the couch with his hand clasped across his mouth thoughtfully. It seemed a bit less unnerving now that he knew who this strange man was and that his occupation and place in the city was less unorthodox than he had expected. It seemed that Dolfamingo was merely an eccentric billionaire with a few hidden fetishes.

It also meant that handling the situation might be a lot easier than Sanji had recently anticipated, if anything all he really needed to do was return the car to him and simply avoid him in the future. He might even be lucky enough to threaten to go to the press with the man's hidden sexual preferences to keep him from bothering Sanji in the future.

After all the recent murders, the papers would be desperate for a piece of juicy news on one of the city's richest men. A story about a toy company owner whom played with adult toys in his spare time would be quite the scandal. Maybe even enough to ruin him. A thought struck Sanji as he wondered if that was the reason the man hid behind those glasses all the time, and if so then maybe Sanji might be able to do more than just tell the man off...

No!

Sanji cut that thought off immediately. He had promised himself he wasn't going to do petty blackmail again for Zoro's sake, and he was going to stick to that. No matter how much he wanted to get back at this man; he was going to keep it professional and make sure everything was ended neatly.

Pushing himself up from the couch firmly, he scooped up a spare pack of smokes left on the coffee table along with a lighter and stepped out onto the balcony. All the stress had given him a wicked headache and the instant he took a sharp inhale of the newly lit cigarette he felt it melting away along with a bit of his anxiousness.

Oddly enough, the smoke cleared his head and he found himself even more resolute in his decision.

Not telling Zoro at the moment was for the better, and now that he knew who and where the other man was he could plan his response. He would wait until his next day at work – the day after tomorrow – and if the car was still parked at the mall then he would drive it straight to this Doflamingo's house and return it in person. 

Politely.

It would be the end of the whole weird ordeal and he could explain everything to Zoro within two days. The man might be a bit miffed, but Sanji planned to explain it as nicely as he could and maybe leave out a bit of the worse details for Zoro's sake. And if Zoro still felt the need to call up the man and tell him off as one Dom to another, well, Sanji would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Finishing off his cigarette he ground out the cherry into the fancy ash tray Zoro had bought and put out on the balcony solely for Sanji. It was the smallest gesture but it always made Sanji smile to himself at the conversation that had taken place. Sanji calling him adorably thoughtful, Zoro just walking away and mumbling something about hating all the ashes he kept finding on the balcony. Sanji saw through his act immediately.

As he re-entered the apartment he felt the exhaustion and pandemonious events of the day hit him all at once, and pressed his fingers against his tired eyes; he needed sleep. Maybe everything would seem less chaotic once he had gotten some actual rest.

Passing by Zoro's study, he glanced in to find the man buried deep in his papers with his glasses back in place. His green hair was still slightly damp from his shower and was standing on end from what had to have been a vigorous drying with a towel. It was a look that always made the man look adorably frazzled.

When he noticed Sanji's presence he glanced up sharply, a dorky grin slanting across his face happily, “Hey.”

“Hey.” Sanji responded softly, hand coming up to scratch at his bare chest nervously, still feeling a little off about lying to the man, “I'm gonna head to bed early.”

“Alright.” Zoro nodded gently, adjusting his glasses which had begun to slip down his nose, “I'll be in soon; just need to file a few more things.”

Sanji smiled back softly, padding back to the bedroom quietly and slipping under the covers. Nestled in on the far side of the bed, sleep eluded him as the thoughts that had been nagging at him all day continued to hound him. It wasn't until an hour later when Zoro quietly made his way into the room and joined Sanji that the man was finally able to drift off into a restless sleep.

~X~

Sanji woke to a strong, secure arm wrapped around his waist and a gentle snoring in his ear. The sun flitting distantly through the curtains put the time at around seven in the morning, but since it was his day off it hardly mattered. Snuggling further under the blankets he turned until he was facing the still sleeping man.

Mouth agape in a flattering display, he drooled lightly on his pillow as he continued to snore softly through his nose. His green hair was a ruffled mess and was managing to stand up in every direction possible, which only added to the ridiculousness of the man's sleeping position. It caused a warmth to swell in Sanji's heart at the sight, as he cherished these quiet moments where he got to fully take in the man without his knowledge.

Reaching out a gentle hand, he carded it through his messy locks, straightening them a bit and getting it out of his eyes, before placing a chaste kiss to his forehead. The man always managed to sleep like a Neanderthal and yet make it look cute, something that was always going to confound Sanji.

Sanji placed a few more kisses to the man's face, much less discreet this time as Zoro's face scrunched up unpleasantly and he cracked an eye open at Sanji. The amber squinting at him through dark lashes while his lips pursed tightly, he didn't say anything but his disgruntled expression read easily enough.

“Seven.” Sanji explained softly, pressing a final kiss to the man's nose, “You got work.”

Zoro gave a garbled response as he shut his eye once more and curled deeper under the covers, pulling the blanket up and over his head.

“Oh my god, you giant child.” Sanji laughed, propping his head on his hand as he lay looking down at the ball of blankets where his supposedly adult boyfriend was hiding, “C'mon, I'll make breakfast. You know I make a mean omelette.”

Another distorted grunt came from the blankets, and Sanji took that as his cue to go get started without the man. Jumping out of bed, he purposefully tossed the blankets aside dramatically to reveal the man to the cold morning air in the apartment. That stunt earned him a growl as Zoro snatched the blankets back over himself and proceeded to wrap himself up inside them like a burrito.

Sanji snorted softly, before snatching up a spare t-shirt and padding out into the living area. Filling up the kettle with water and setting it to boil, he began pulling out all the bowls and pans he'd need to start making breakfast. Finding all the food he needed stocked in the fridge practically ready to go.

He was halfway through browning the diced onions when Zoro emerged from his bedroom looking a little bit more prepared to face the day. Giving the onions a quick stir Sanji turned his attention to the whisked eggs as Zoro started filling the french press with the boiled water.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” Sanji bubbled happily, he wasn't sure if it was the nice weather or that fact that he had gotten a decent amount of sleep, but his mood compared to yesterday had changed dramatically.

“Coffee.” Zoro grunted in response, shamelessly adjusting his junk through his sleeping pants as he began pushing down on the top of the press. Sanji wondered for a brief moment if he would find that attractive when the man was fifty and balding, and he nearly dropped the eggs when his brain's instant answer was; yes!

Luckily, Zoro was far too sleepy and distracted so Sanji managed to recover and begin pouring the eggs into the pan without the Dom noticing his flushed cheeks. By the time Zoro had gotten a cup and was seated at the island counter, Sanji had added the last of the vegetables and cheese and was just waiting for the omelette to finish cooking.

Zoro downed one cup and was already on his second when Sanji went to get his own and found the man had already poured him a cup and made it to his liking. Picking up the mug with a small smile, he took a sip and hoped the dopey feelings weren't showing too obviously on his face.

“You look better.” Zoro finally managed his first sentence of the day, though his voice still sounded laced with fatigue. Sanji quirked his head to the side in confusion as the man added, “Compared to yesterday.”

“Oh! Yeah...” Sanji nodded thoughtfully, taking another sip of his coffee as he let the bitter, hot liquid as he was painfully reminded of the awkward incident that had occurred the other day. However, after a night of sleep he was definitely feeling less unnerved about it now, “I think I just needed some sleep.”

“I'm glad.” Zoro intoned sincerely. The man never said a lot, but Sanji was always in awe at the amount of emotion and thought he could put behind the few words he did speak. “I don't like seeing you so down.”

“Don't worry.” Sanji assured as he set his coffee aside and began pulling some plates out of a cupboard, trying to ignore the words that tasted of a lie, “I'd let you know if anything was wrong.”

Sanji scooped up the giant omelette onto a plate, sliding it across the counter to the other man, before handing him some cutlery as well as some ketchup and barbecue sauce. As Zoro began loading up on the sauce, Sanji plated his own omelette and cut into it. Steam was still rising from the egg and even though the first bite was hot it was heavenly; he was seriously getting good at this cooking thing.

“So, what do you have planned for the day?” Zoro asked casually, mouth half full as he crammed at least a quarter of his omelette into his mouth in one go. Sanji was always amazed that this slovenly eater with the table manners of a five year old was the same man that became a confident sexual Dominant the moment they were in the bedroom.

“Pretty chill.” Sanji muttered through a grin while shaking his head to himself, looking back at his own plate while cutting himself another piece, “I have to take a trip up to RLU; get my schedule, and make sure my tuition is properly paid for, etcetera. Then just Capoeira in the afternoon.”

“Fun.” Zoro noted, still far too focused on eating to give a longer answer. It made Sanji wonder if the man was eating enough recently – they had had dinner together last night – but perhaps the man had been skipping meals to get more paper work done. Sanji made a mental note to start packing the man a lunch.

“What about you?” Sanji frowned, noting the small bags present under the man's eyes, “You seem a little over worked recently.”

“The overtime sucks.” Zoro agreed, scraping the last of the omelette from his plate and finishing it in one bite. Leaning back on the stool with a satisfied smile, “But once I finish up with all this filing I'll be able to focus on just patients again.”

“Don't work yourself too hard.” Sanji teased with a playful smile, grabbing the man's empty plate and putting it in the sink as he began to run some hot water, “Now go get dressed; I'll do the dishes.”

“Thanks.” Zoro chirped, already looking more energized after having some breakfast before standing and ducking into his room to get dressed and ready for work. Sanji set about doing the dishes as he finished his own omelette. He was just putting the last plate in the rack to dry when Zoro emerged looking much more presentable than he had earlier. 

Hair brushed, face washed, teeth brushed; the man looked refreshed and like an entirely new person. With his freshly ironed pants, button up shirt, and his spectacles, he looked every bit the part that a respectable doctor should. When he noted that the man even had his shoes on Sanji suddenly realized he was half naked compared to the other man.

“Shit sorry,” Sanji panicked, drying his hands on a dish towel as he was already trying to mentally map out where all his things were than he needed to grab, “Give me like a minute and I'll be ready.”

“Take your time.” Zoro urged calmly, fishing something from his pocket before sliding it across the counter to Sanji. The blond paused – already halfway out of the kitchen – as he returned to snatch up what Zoro had placed on the counter. It was a small silver key; simple and looking like it was freshly cut.

“How are you suppo-” He held it for a long moment in confusion, wondering how the man intended to get back into his apartment later when everything suddenly clicked and he gasped, “Oh! This is for me?!”

“Yeah.” Zoro nodded with a grin, “You're here so much a figured it would just be easier.”

“Wow.” Sanji managed with disbelief, he could hardly believe that Zoro trusted him enough to give him a key to his apartment. It was such a huge gesture Sanji was kind of at odds for what to say. Thankfully Zoro saved him from babbling something embarrassing and pulled the blond forward for a quick kiss.

“I'll see you later,” Zoro assured with a chaste peck on Sanji's slack lips before pulling away and making his way to the front door, “Okay?”

“'Kay.” Sanji gushed somewhat breathlessly as Zoro gave a final nod and stepped out the door, leaving Sanji standing alone in the entryway holding the key and staring after the man. Heart pounding in his chest and a stupid grin plastered across his face.

~X~

Making his way up the luxurious staircase to Red Line University, Sanji was in awe of the magnificent buildings that intertwined across the prestigious campus. From the street that passed through the area, three large brick staircases lead up to a wide terrace with pathways woven through grassy fields leading off to different buildings and dormitories. Trees grew in abundance across the courtyard providing shade for students to lounge in while between classes.

Sanji stood at the top of the stairs, glancing around in wonder at the beautiful school. It was incredibly famous, but he had never taken the time to come out and see it for himself. All of the buildings were made from ancient red brick, and even the newer ones were constructed to look like the originals; it was clear how the university got its name. Through a sea of metallic, blue buildings, and evergreen shrubbery the University stood out like a stark red line through it.

It took a bit of wandering but he eventually found the front doors to the Administrative Building and Student Union, the inside just as gorgeous and brilliant as the outside. The floors made of polished marble gleamed in the light let in by the windows high above; the brick walls a glowing auburn. The architecture alone in these buildings was unbelievable.

Finding the Administration Office, he walked up to one of the empty desks where an elderly woman sat typing furiously on her computer, her name tag reading; Kokoro. Pausing and looking up at Sanji, she gave a sincere smile and bodily turned to face him, “How can I help you today, deary?”

“Well,” Sanji began slightly flustered, he had never done anything like this before and honestly had no idea what he was supposed to do, “I'm accepted into a tech program and needed to come pay tuition and get my schedule.”

“Of course.” She nodded happily, facing her computer once more with her fingers hovering over the keys, “Do you have your student ID number?”

“Oh. Yeah, hold on a moment.” Sanji dug through his bag quickly, trying to locate the small sticky note that he had written everything down on. Locating it with a small breath of relief and handing it to the woman, “Here.”

“Perfect.” She chirped, immediately setting to work on her computer. Typing with vigour as Sanji stood awkwardly for a moment before stepping around an offered chair and taking a seat opposite the woman. The silence stretched for a bit longer than Sanji had expected before the woman slowly turned her swivel chair to face Sanji once more, “Alright, I'll be right back.”

She scuttled off to the printer just visible behind all the secretary stalls, pulling out a stack of papers that had just finished printing before returning to Sanji. Stapling them together, she then set them down in front of Sanji before seating herself in her office chair.

“So, that is your schedule along with a map of the campus.” Kokoro explained, “There's also a bunch of information on orientation day, and the hours of all the offices and libraries. Your textbook requirements are also noted on page seven, however we usually recommend you attend class first as some instructors change it before we can update it.”

Sanji nodded slowly as he casually flipped through the papers she had given him. So far it all seemed pretty straight forward, and any previous concerns he had about finding his way around campus were gone upon seeing the detailed map provided. Clearly, it must've been an issue before and they had made an effort to fix it.

“It also says here that you're partially covered under a scholarship by your employer,” Kokoro explained happily, “You'll just need to pay the remaining balance. As well as purchase textbooks and any other necessary supplies yourself. If you lose those papers it will all be posted online on your account.”

“Okay,” Sanji accepted simply, “Can I pay right now?”

“Of course.” Kokoro nodded eagerly, already pulling out a cordless debit machine before returning to her computer, “It'll just take me a minute to get the transaction set up.”

Sanji took the opportunity to pull his wallet out from his back pocket and locate his debit card. He'd taken the time before hand to get some spare cash from his stash and deposit it slowly into his account to avoid suspicion. Hopefully, he had more than enough to pay off the remaining tuition.

“Okay, deary.” Kokoro waved a hand at the machine, “All ready for you.”

Sanji picked up the machine and inserted his card, keeping his face neutral but balking internally at how outrageous the fees were. If this was only part of the fee then he'd hate to see how much other students were paying. It suddenly seemed incredibly fortuitous that he had saved up so much money or he'd never be able to afford this.

Transaction completed, he removed his card. Kokoro took the machine back, finished up on her computer before handing him the receipt, “You're all set. We look forward to seeing you on first day of classes.”

“Oh, well, thank you very much for your help, ma'am.” Sanji stood and gave a small bow, before imploring, “You are truly an angel.”

“Oh, it was no trouble.” She giggled in embarrassment, waving him off playfully as Sanji gathered up all the paperwork she had given him and stored it safely in his bag. Giving the secretary a final, grateful wave as he left the office. 

Sanji made his way back out of the building, a little shocked at how easy it had all been and actually feeling a little more prepared for the next semester then he had earlier that day. It felt like it should have been more difficult, but with his schedule in hand it seemed all that was required now was to show up for class. He'd have to make a note to talk to Ace and adjust his schedule at work tomorrow to accommodate his classes.

As Sanji reached the top of the triad of stairs, he glanced down to note with a small jolt of shock a man standing at the bottom looking up at him patiently. Panic causing his skin to go numb as he was beginning to seriously freak out over how the man seemed to keep being able to find him.

Sanji met Doflamingo's gaze through his sunglasses for a long moment, staring the man down calmly as he tried to mask his fear. Turning bodily from the older man with a bored expression he began making his way down the stairs at a diagonal, hoping the man would take the hint and that Sanji could avoid coming into speaking distance of him.

Luck seemed like it was not on his side today, as the man walked along the sidewalk, keeping up with Sanji's descent before they were undoubtedly within earshot of each other. The man's voice was as taunting and flirtatious as ever, and Sanji had to refrain from making a cutting remark.

“Hello,” Doflamingo purred happily, “Sanji darling.”

Stopping a few steps above the man so he could remain looking down on him, Sanji sneered, “Mr. Donquixote.”

The man didn't necessarily looked shocked, however he seemed pleasantly surprised as a wide grin split his face. Removing his hands from his pockets to hold them out in a warm gesture towards Sanji, “My, my, you know who I am. Colour me flattered.”

Sanji refrained from rolling his eyes as he stared down at the man with distaste and muttered, “Your card didn't give me much to go on.”

“Thought over my proposal, darling?” Doflamingo pouted playfully, completely ignoring Sanji's complaint, “I admit I was quite disappointed to not receive a call.”

“And you're not gonna get one.” Sanji snapped, unzipping the front pocket of his gym bag and pulling out the car keys. He tossed them to the man who caught them quite agilely before adding, “You can have that back by the way; I don't want it.”

Doflamingo looked the keys over thoughtfully before looking back up at Sanji and crooning, “Not your colour?”

“Take a hint.” Sanji growled venomously, not at all wanting to play these games with the man. Storming down the last few steps and jeering into the older man's face, “Piss off!”

Trying to side step around the larger man, he was blocked by a quick stutter step. Sanji found himself glowering into the man's neck, wondering if a quick punch to his throat would distract him long enough for Sanji to run away. The reaction alone might just be worth it.

Doflamingo flicked his sunglasses up onto his forehead, revealing his eyes in a rare unguarded moment that left Sanji feeling uneasy. There was something in those eyes that continued to unnerve him, and considering the way the man was behaving, it was beginning to become clear why. Not breaking eye contact with Sanji the man urged firmly, “I'll give you anything.”

“No thanks.” Sanji muttered without missing a beat, this time properly managing to dart past the man and continue to make his way down the sidewalk. There were no audible hints as to the man following him, and he silently cheered that he was free when the man spoke up again.

“I get what I want Sanji.” Doflamingo crooned silkily, “I always do.”

Sanji turned, noting the man standing several feet away; hands in his pockets, sunglasses back in place, and a cocky hip jutted out. Continuing to walk backwards Sanji held his arms wide and grinned, “So do I.”

Spinning on his heel, he turned and continued to walk purposefully away from the other man; planning on never seeing him again.

~X~

As Sanji changed in the gym change room for his Capoeira class he found himself itching for a fight. The nervous energy that had built up from his encounter with Doflamingo earlier was causing him to become jittery and he needed to sweat it out. He was hopeful that after today the man would get the hint and leave him alone, but that still didn't stop him from feeling unnerved over the man's final words and how he had found where Sanji was so easily...

Was he being followed?

Sanji pulled an elastic from his bag and pulled his hair out of his face into a messy bun on the top of his head, needing it out of his face for practice and sparring. Snatching up his water bottle and a small towel he headed out to the dojo, nodding politely to people he recognized as regulars of the class as he set his stuff on the side and joined the others on the mats.

The class went by as usual and Sanji was able to clear his mind from the hectic things that had happened that day. Mindlessly following along with the warm up before giving his undivided attention to Shuriya as the lesson began and they worked on old techniques as well as a few new ones. 

The rest of class flew by and with only fifteen minutes to go Shuriya called for three minute sparring matches until time was up. Since there was only so much mat space, several people sat off to the side as a few pairs faced off from each other waiting for the instructor to call start before both launched into movement.

Sanji was fighting a kid a few years younger than himself, and while his power still hadn't developed, his lanky frame gave him speed. He was much the same build Sanji was when he first started and decided to tease him in the same ways his instructors had.

Keeping on the defensive he let the kid attack as he saw fit, his movements definitely calculated but still a little clumsy from his inexperience. Each time he threw a hit Sanji would block and throw in a warning counter strike to set the kid on edge and make him aware of his openings. He seemed to be understanding the hints as his guard became better the longer they fought.

With the timer running out Sanji decided to go on the offensive for the last few seconds, implementing the kid's own combos but with much faster speed and intent. With a quick stutter step back he darted forward in a low sweep causing the kid to jump back into a wide, solid stance defensively. 

Keeping his momentum he slid between the kid's legs feet first as the boy took a step forward to strike, planting both his hands on the ground behind his head Sanji arched himself up into a handstand, planting the heel of his foot on the back on the boy's head to signify the strike before twisting out of the handstand into a neat round off. Landing easily on his feet as the kid spun around with his jaw down in shock from the move Sanji had just pulled.

Sanji grinned at the kid just as Shuriya called, “Switch!”

All the fights stopped as people switched out partners and some went to get water in the thirty second break before the next round started. The kid was still staring at Sanji with pure awe on his face before babbling, “That was so cool.”

Sanji just chuckled lightly, “I'll teach it to you sometime.”

“Not before me.” Shuriya cut in – appearing seemingly out of nowhere – throwing an arm around Sanji, “C'mon, Sanji. My turn.”

“Not fair!” The kid whined playfully, taking hold of Sanji's hand and trying to pull him out from under Shuriya's hold. The instructor just held on tighter and pulled Sanji away with a well placed foot to trip the kid and cause him to tumble. Jumping back to his feet with a determined scowl he stuck out his tongue at Shuriya.

“Nnn.” Shuriya returned the gesture, and Sanji just stared at his friend in slight bewilderment, “Wait your turn, pipsqueak.”

“Shuriya!”

Shuriya just cackled uproariously, and put the younger kid into a playful head lock. The kid struggling desperately to get out as the older man proceeded to give him a noogie. Once he had gotten his fill of shrieks and giggles from the kid, Shuriya released him and let the kid stumble back red faced and hair a mess.

“Tobio is looking for a partner.” Shuriya nodded toward another kid around the other boy's age, “Think you can go give him a hard time.”

Despite still being breathless from Shuriya picking on him, he nodded firmly, “You got it, Shuriya!

Shuriya watched him run off before turning to Sanji with a grin, his body language instantly turning from friendly to aggressive as he took a fighting stance, “Alright. You ready for me to kick your sorry ass?”

“Just try it.” Sanji jeered as he raised his guard.

~X~

“So...” Shuriya hummed thoughtfully as they both finished throwing their things in their bags in the changing room. Class had ended uneventfully, their fight coming to a draw this time as the timer ran out before either had landed a decisive, finishing strike, “About that drink you promised almost a month ago...”

Sanji smiled at Shuriya's teasing as he replied casually, “I could go for a pint.”

“Awesome!” Shuriya cheered, looping his gym bag over his shoulder as he already began making his way out the change room, “Your treat.”

“Oh?” Sanji chuckled as he followed after the man, still doing up the zipper to his own bag and making sure he had all of his belongings, “Is it now?”

“Hey, you're the one that's been leaving me hanging all winter.” Shuriya complained, giving a casual wave to several instructors that were still hanging around after their own classes, “Months without a sparring partner. Months!”

“Work was busy.” Sanji shrugged as they made their way out of the gym and down the street towards Dead End, a bar that they regularly frequented after their Capoeira class, “I was exhausted most nights.”

“Naw, I get it.” Shuriya waved him off as they neared the end of the street, “I just like teasing you.”

The rustic, underground pub was just as Sanji remembered it with its ratty paint job and dirt smudged windows that hadn't been cleaned in years. They had found in on chance, but had soon discovered that the place was a homey joint. Jovial music always blasting from within, and the beer and food was as good as the company.

“Almost as much as you like goading me into a fight.” Sanji noted as he held open the door to the pub, the music bellowing out even louder, “After you.”

“It's cause you're a good fight.” Shuriya grinned, leading them inside. The barkeep immediately recognized them and gave a cheery wave, already letting one of the waitresses know their order. It paid to be a regular, sometimes they even got a free plate of fries, “A challenge.”

“Please,” Sanji simpered, “Stroke my ego a little more, will you?”

“No thanks. I'm sure your new boyfriend does that enough.” Shuriya grunted which only caused Sanji to chuckle, leading them to a table near the back, each of them taking a seat and shedding their bags before he continued, “How's that going by the way?”

As they got comfortable and they waited for the waitress to bring them a pitcher of beer, Sanji regaled Shuriya with all that had been going on in his life the past few months – leaving out the more explicit details for peace of mind – but nonetheless filling him in. 

“Man,” Shuriya smiled as he topped off his glass with beer from the pitcher provided, “I'm happy for you.”

“What about you?” Sanji replied, filling up his own mug, “Anyone new in your life?”

“Naw.” Shuriya shook his head, knocking back a large portion of his beer before topping it up again, “I got Adelle to look after, and any girl that doesn't want to share me with my sis just ain't worth it.”

“How's she doing by the way?” Sanji had only met the spunky little girl a few times but she had all the attributes of her older brother. Strong, determined, and ridiculously stubborn. Last time he saw her was at open sparring night in the fall where she had been fighting Shuriya; she had been feisty.

“Good.” Shuriya nodded sombrely, “Really really good. Her grades dipped for a while at first but she's gotten better. She spends a lot of time with our uncle working on cars at the junkyard.”

“I'm glad she's pulling through.” Sanji more than anyone knew what it was like to lose your parents at such a young age, and he was glad to hear she was doing better. With a brother like Shuriya she was bound to.

“Been leaving her with uncle a lot recently.” Shuriya admitted, “With the whole serial killer thing going on I don't like leaving her at home alone.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Sanji balked, it hadn't even occurred to him that she was the right age to be targeted. But considering that young boy had been snatched out of his home, no doubt parents all over the city were watching their children like a hawk. “Is she okay?”

“Kinda?” Shuriya shrugged, “She acts all tough but she's been having a few nightmares.”

“I'm sorry.” Sanji offered, not sure what else to say. It was one thing for the murders to affect adults, being old enough to understand the horrible, true nature of the world was part of growing up. But to have children whom still held hopeful innocence fearing for their safety was absolutely terrible.

“Eh,” Shuriya groused, “Nothing to really do but wait till they catch the guy. Speaking of which, I hear they have a name for him now too.”

“Oh yeah?” Sanji raised an eyebrow, drink paused halfway to his mouth in curiosity. It was actually fairy normal for serial killers to garner nicknames and pseudonyms once they had become well known. It seemed that the Seattle serial killer had made enough headlines to earn himself a title.

“Yup.” Shuriya nodded before muttering, “The Crucifier.”

“That's morbid.” Sanji stated bluntly, “Where'd that come from?”

“I think it was because of the way the first body was found,” Shuriya pondered as he tipped back his glass and took a swig as Sanji was suddenly reminded of the state the first boy had been found in. Nailed up on a post like some deranged scarecrow. Suddenly, the name for the murderer seemed quite fitting, “It's also – apparently – because his killings are kind of ritualistic.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Sanji mumbled quietly, already remembering each murder scene that had appeared on the news and in the papers with uncomfortable vividness.

“I can't wait till they catch the guy,” Shuriya grunted, “I wanna know what kind of person could do something like that.”

“Everyone does.” Sanji agreed sombrely.

“I'm picturing... Dahmer.” Shuriya mused, holding his hands up in front of himself a bit dramatically, lowering them as he tilted his head to the side and made an indecisive motion with his hand, “With a bit of Hannibal Lecter.”

“You think he's eating them?” Sanji made a face, finding his beer a little less appealing.

“No, no.” Shuriya corrected hurriedly, “But that calm, sociopathic demeanour. The kind where the eyes hold something psychotic that the rest of their body and actions seem to hide, you know?”

Shuriya's words were distant as Sanji knew exactly what he meant; he had been pinned to the spot by eyes like that before. Dark and sinister, as they had stared Sanji down for the first time at that scene in the club. Sanji hadn't been able to place what was so terrifying about that gaze, but now it seemed obvious.

“I know exactly what you mean...” Sanji finally mumbled quietly, raising his mug of beer and taking three large gulps to try and drown a little bit of the dawning horror within him. Surely, he was overreacting, but that cold, maniacal stare was nearly impossible to erase from his mind and it held that exact psychotic quality Shuriya was alluding to.

“Yea...” Shuriya hummed, completely oblivious to the panic attack Sanji was currently battling, “Either way though; they'll get him soon.”

“Why do you say that?” Sanji replied quietly – instinctively – his eyes still dazed as he stared off distantly across the bar. Dolfamingo was weird, sure, but he was rich, and in the public eye. He had no reason to go about killing people in his spare time... did he?

“In a city of a million there are strings connecting people that go unseen forever.” Shuriya continued to ramble, “And there's a link here too; the cops just haven't found it yet.”

“How do you think they're connected?” Sanji asked curiously, already trying to desperately think how a man of Doflamingo's status could be involved with a such a variety of people from such separate classes, ages, and social groups. Could his company have something to do with it?

“It doesn't have to be significant,” Shuriya shrugged, “it could be a single incident that ties them all separately. Like having bought coffee from a particular store, or passed through a park. The link between them is practically invisible; but it exists. And that will be the undoing.”

A long silence stretched between them broken by the loud ruckus of the pub and the music blaring in all corners of the room. But there was still a muted feeling to their conversation as both of them took a moment in their own little world to quietly mull over the murders that had been taking place this spring. Sanji tossed back a large swig of alcohol to try and numb a bit of the nervousness that always accompanied those thoughts before speaking.

“Strings, huh?”

“Strings.” Shuriya confirmed with a slightly drunken nod, giving his own beer a large gulp before slamming the mug down a little too roughly. Sanji watched the foamy liquid slosh out and onto the table, wondering just how convoluted the web Doflamingo strung throughout the city could be.

~X~

“I'll see you next week!” Shuriya called drunkenly from inside the cab, pointing an aggressive finger in Sanji's direction, “D-don't be late!”

Sanji chuckled, giving a nod, “I won't, don't worry.”

Closing the door on his drunken friend he made his way to the passenger window and leaned in to look at the cabby, “Make sure he actually gets into his apartment please.”

Pulling a spare ten dollar bill from his pocket he handed it to the cabby, whom nodded graciously and seemed pleasantly surprised by the tip. Giving Shuriya a final wave he stood up from the cab, watching it slowly pull out back onto the road and merge once more with traffic.

Once it was out of sight he heaved a heavy sigh and adjusted his gym bag before jaywalking across the street with a quick glance to make sure no cars were coming. The nearest bus stop that took him to his apartment was a few blocks away, but there was an multi-level car parkade for a mall that if he cut through he could get there in half the time.

Part of him was a little anxious going off the main roads where there were people, but the parkade was well lit and it would save him at least forty minutes. And since he had work the next day he wasn't looking forward to losing an hour of sleep. Pulling out his phone and checking the time, he decided to throw caution to the wind and ducked inside one of the car entry ways.

Sanji made his way across the parkade, making for the exit at the far end in hopes of catching the next bus. As he rounded one of the large shadowed pillars, a sudden movement sparked Sanji into motion as the next few seconds passed in slow motion.

A black figure leaped out at him, his silhouette still shrouded due to the poor lighting, something large and thick was brought down and Sanji instantly reacted. Gym bag already falling to the ground, phone slipping from his grip as he twisted sharply and narrowly avoided being hit. The splintering of wood on the ground confirmed Sanji's suspicions of a baseball bat, and instantly rounded on the thug. 

Guard completely down in shock of having missed Sanji, the blond lashed out with a sharp kick, calve colliding directly with the man's face. A muffled shriek echoed far too loudly in the concrete parkade, blood splattering sickeningly across the ground as the man fell back clutching his face at the same moment Sanji's phone hit the ground with a heart breaking shatter.

Sanji had only a second to recover – not even able to get a look at his assailant – before realizing that the man wasn't alone. Scuffle of shoes behind him had Sanji spinning abruptly, hand redirecting a flailing arm holding a blade, using his grip on the other man's wrist to pull him close and embed his knee directly into the man's kidney. The blow causing the other man to drop instantly, before two more were already on Sanji.

Everything was a little fuzzy from the beer, but the adrenaline from his Capoeira class was still fresh and he found himself reacting instinctively despite his inebriation. A glint of the man's knuckles as he gave a flailing hay-maker made Sanji aware of the brass knuckles he sported, and Sanji immediately went on the defensive. Counting the man's steps and jabs before ducking under his guard and sweeping his legs right out from under him, his body barely hitting the floor before Sanji's heel was embedded in his throat with a viscous kick. 

A painful gurgle exploded from the man's mouth as the blond spun to face the other man with a murderous look, guard already raised again as the other man seemed honestly terrified despite the pocket knife he held. Sanji snarled and launched himself at the other man, barely getting a step before realizing his error as there was a fifth man he hadn't noticed.

The blow to the back of his head came quicker than he had time to turn and he fell to his knees instantly as lights bloomed in front of his eyes and a copper tang rose in his mouth. Swaying where he knelt he found himself forgetting how to breath momentarily before the remaining two men were on him, a punch for good measure landing on his jaw.

A hand tangled in his hair and he was forced to his knees, head pulled back as the arch of his neck stretched his skin painfully. Desperately trying to struggle against the hold, his body still not responding entirely from the heavy blow he had received. His efforts stilling as someone approached him; hulking figure illuminated by the poor luminescents before stepping in front of Sanji with a filthy grin.

Thick meaty neck covered in stubble jiggled slightly as the man gave a cackle, cracked lips pulling back to expose filthy, yellowing teeth. A large hand was placed on his bulging gut as he finished chuckling, glancing around at the three men currently on the ground in varying states of pain, “Quite a feisty one, aren't ya?”

“What do you want from me?!” Sanji gritted out, words distorted from the fat lip that was already swelling impressively and the blood welling in the back of his throat.

The man dropped to a knee to be on eye level with Sanji, and the blond was able to fully appreciate the stench of the man's breath and the greasiness of his hair that was pulled back in a messy topknot. “The name's Teach.”

Sanji glared back at the man balefully, refusing to speak. Like knowing the man's name made any difference in the situation, he had never met the man before in his life. If Teach was expecting some kind of recognition then Sanji was refusing to give it. Hacking up a blood soaked lugie, he spat it at his feet and continued to stare at the man calmly. Teach seemed unimpressed.

“Galdino sends his regards.” Teach breathed out heavily, rank breath rolling from rotting teeth to sting at Sanji's eyes and make him want to gag. The terrible odour of cigars and alcohol fresh on the man's breath.

Sanji's scowl deepened, not only did he not know this man but he was expected to know some other jackass as well. Maybe there was a mix up and they jumped the wrong person, “I don't know who the fuck you're--”

Sanji cut himself off abruptly as it suddenly clicked, a name he had remembered for maybe a day before forgetting like the rest of them. A man he had ruthlessly scammed not a few months ago. The realization seemed to show on his face because Teach chuckled before pushing himself to his feet, “Looks like you do know who we're talking about.”

Though Sanji had already tuned the man out as he desperately racked his brain for any memories he had of the man. He had done an extensive background check, making sure that the man had no dealings with the mafia or anything untoward that could be used against Sanji. He worked at a freaking toy factory for god's sake! He specifically went for victims that were unable to fight back and stuck in such mundane situations that they would have no choice but to pay.

How the man got the resources and the courage to contact a gang to track Sanji down was beyond him. The man had money, but he didn't have this kind of money. Panicked thought after panicked thought rushed through his head before he was starkly brought back to the situation by a fist connecting sharply with his jaw.

Pain exploded across his face, stars blooming in front of his eyes as it took all his effort not to pass out from the hit. Blinking forcefully to try and clear his vision he eventually looked up at Teach as the man inspected his knuckles thoughtfully, “So here's how this is gonna go; you're gonna pay the man back, plus interest.” Teach informed smoothly, “As well as the contract fee for our work.”

Sanji frowned in confusion, still not completely back in his own mind after that hit, “What?”

“Half mill.” Teach clarified with a twisted grin, “One week.”

“You're insane.” Sanji spat, “I don't have that kind of money.”

“Now that I don't believe.” Teach simpered, “If you can afford to scam people for tens of thousands then you can scrape together a measly five hundred.”

“I ain't doing shit.”

Teach gave an exasperated sigh as his head fell back, eventually he looked back down and gestured to one of his men casually. A sadistic grin spread across the lackey's face as he didn't even pause before wrenching Sanji's hand into his grip, grabbing his pinky and bending it all the way backwards with a sickening crack.

There was a calm moment of shock that flitted through Sanji's body, pain not entirely registering as he stared down at his left hand and the finger that was now bent back and resting against the top of his hand. First knuckle bulging unpleasantly as the first wave of pain struck with a blinding force that had him wailing.

“FUCK!” Sanji screeched, cupping his hand as he was released by Teach's thugs. Falling to the pavement he curled around his injured hand, cradling the wound as he tried to force himself to breath through the pain, finally managing a hysterical, “Are you fucking serious?!”

“Dead serious.” Teach grunted, “You get the money by the end of the week, or you're gonna regret ever crossing me.”

Adrenaline was kicking in, but the pain was still substantial. He slowly lifted his head to look up at the man looming over him menacingly, matching the glare he managed to shuffle his way onto his knees once more. Gritting his teeth, he could taste blood from when he had been hit in the jaw earlier, and swallowed a wad of it before sneering, “You'll kill me?”

“Oh no.” Teach crooned cheerfully, as he dropped down onto one knee to be on Sanji's level once more. Plaque riddled teeth grinning maniacally as a wheezing chuckle left the man, “No, we won't do anything to you... Now your boyfriend however...”

Time froze upon hearing the man's words.

Sanji's body broke out into a cold sweat that had him stuck to the spot in horror, the pain previously rushing through him trickled away in fear. It had never even occurred to him that they would know about Zoro, let alone threaten to harm him. Zoro could handle himself in a fight, but even he couldn't do anything if the mob decided to put a bullet in him.

“Ah!” Teach chirped happily at Sanji's reaction, “Seems I've struck a cord. Good.”

Sanji found himself choking on air, mouth working soundlessly as he desperately grasped at the fact that Zoro's life was now in the balance. All his youth spent looking out for only himself; he had never cared of the potential consequences because there was no one important enough to him that could get in harms way. And now everything perfect and amazing in his life was one mistake away from being destroyed; and it was all his fault.

“You bring us the money to the Water Seven work yard down on water front; warehouse one.” Teach clarified lazily, “Eight o'clock. Or he's gonna find himself with a bullet in his head, got it?”

Mind completely blank, Sanji knelt in front of the man as he stared at the ground in front of him hopelessly. Feeling utterly helpless for the first time since he had been told of his father's death. Unable to think of anything past the horrifying idea of loosing Zoro as well.

Sanji nodded slowly.

“Glad we have an understanding.” Teach grunted happily before jerking his head to the side, “Come along, boys. Mr. Black here has some things he needs to get done.”

The two men helped the other three to their feet and they made their way out of the parkade. Sanji waited from his defeated position, not bothering to look up as he simply listened to the sound of their footsteps. Once they were out of earshot Sanji gave a pitiful sob and finally turned his gaze down to his injured hand. Other hand trembling as he slowly pulled it away to get a better look, retching at the unsettling sight. 

Covering it once more with his hand, he held it close to his body as it seemed to ease at least a bit of the pain as he glance around himself helplessly. He could see blood splattered in various places around him from the fight, and his bag was only a few feet away along with his phone that now lay in three pieces. Other than that he was entirely alone in the parkade with only the hum of the lights to give him solace.

For once, he had absolutely no idea what to do.

The obvious answer was to go to the police, but he couldn't. Exposing Galdino would mean exposing himself, which would cause numerous amounts of blackmailing and fraud charges and get him thrown in jail for god knew how long. Which meant this had to be settled outside the law.

He had a fair amount of savings, but nothing near to the amount they wanted; and the odds of getting a bank loan that large when he had no credit score was less than zero. Panic began to set in as he realized he was very quickly running out of options and ideas...

A numb sensation was beginning to spread up his arm from his hand, and he very suddenly realized that he was close to going into shock. Releasing his injured hand, he slowly reached up to his jaw and pressed hard against his swollen lip. The jolt of pain was just enough shake the fatigue that was trying to take over and he began shuffling over to his belongings.

Dealing with the money could wait, the first thing he needed to do was get his hand taken care of so he could think of a solution with a clear head. Carefully scooping up the pieces of his phone, he stored them in his bag and pushed himself to his feet. Cradling his hand as gently as he could he continued across the rest of the parkade in hopes of finding a taxi to take him to the nearest hospital.

TBC...


	17. The Dude in the Dodge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I'm having a giveaway on Tumblr, and three people are going to get a printed copy of Shackled Dissimulation(plus some One Piece swag) in thanks for the support of this fic over the past 3 years. If you wish to take part in it go to my tumblr with the tag;  
> post/150367021401/hello-we-are-nearing-the-final-few-chapters-of  
> (It won't let me post the full URL). It will go until I post the last chapter of SD and then I shall do the draw :)

Gravel crunched pleasantly under the tires of the old beat up truck that pulled to a grumbling stop; engine cutting out as the vehicle was turned off and the door swung open with an aching creak. A steel-toed boot swung out to land on the ground making the same satisfying sound in the rubble before another foot followed.

The man pulled himself from his truck with a long groan, cigar clenched precariously in his teeth as he arched back in an exaggerated stretch. Slamming the door behind himself he tilted his head from side to side to get any kinks out before plucking the cigar from his mouth after taking a gratifying puff. Sliding his other hand into his jean pocket, he began grudgingly making his way towards the large automotive shop nestled on the cross street. 

A large gleaming sign – which mimicked the gigantic advertising post on the street corner – read Galley-la in dramatic, bold lettering and had a modest little drawing of a truck stationed underneath. Passing by the lot that held all the cars that had been tuned and waiting to be picked up, the man stubbed out the cigar he had been puffing and tucked it into the pocket of his jean jacket.

Throwing open the entry door he stepped inside to the welcoming smell of new tires, motor oil, and the lavender air freshener that the secretary insisted upon having. Secretary in question perked up upon the chime of the door opening and gifted the man with a smile.

“Morning Paulie.” Kiwi mused as she turned back to her computer, “You're late.”

“Mornin' Kiwi.” Paulie snapped back, continuing their daily greeting, “I know.”

Satisfied that she had at least done her job of berating him for being late she began pulling out several work order forms as Paulie made his way around the counter. He was always late, but it had become ritualistic to not expect him to show up on time. Besides, with how laid back the boss was most of the staff were given pretty lenient schedules just so long as they got their work done.

“Got a truck that needs an oil change,” Kiwi said absently, handing off the work order to Paulie as he skirted around her desk and made for the coffee machine, “And a general inspection.”

“What's the deal?” Paulie grunted, flipping through the work order and skimming the details of the tune up, seemed like a standard oil change and lubrication detail.

“Owner suspects an oil leak.” Kiwi explained, “Keeps spotting leakage under the vehicle.”

Paulie grunted in understanding as he pulled a spare mug down from the cabinet and poured himself a cup of steaming coffee. Smoking was obviously not allowed on the work floor so he had to deal with his vice by keeping a cup of caffeine near him at all times. “Seen the boss man lately?” 

“Iceburg said he's been MIA for a few days,” Kiwi shrugged, “You know how he is; finishes modding a car and gets the urge to take a drive up to Canada for the week.”

“Lucky bastard.” Paulie muttered into his mug as he took a sip.

“What was that?” Kiwi intoned innocently.

“Nothing.” Paulie growled, snatching up his work orders and heading out into the shop to start his day with her cackles following after him. 

Stepping into the grimy shop was like another world, completely opposite of the clean exterior and sales floor. Instead of polished floors, gleaming vehicles, and jet black tires for sale, everything was covered in a layer of oil and grime; the place smelling of a heady concoction of grease, sweat, and dirt. It smelt like home.

“Paul!” Zambai hollered from across the shop from his own bay, a gorgeous sports car up on the hydraulic lift as he stood underneath, ratchet in hand, “Deal with that fucking truck!”

“Unknot your panties, Zambai.” Paulie spat back, “I haven't even had my coffee.”

“It smells like sour shit.” Zambai grunted as he tossed his tool aside and snagged a rag that was dirtier than his hands to wipe off the excess oil on them. Making his way over to Paulie's bay, “Kiwi nearly hurled when she came in here.”

Paulie began to smell exactly what the other man meant once they both neared his bay where the truck was parked waiting to be hoisted up on the lift to be inspected. A foul odour of was emanating from the vehicle and slowly filling up the shop, its pungent smell stinging the nostrils and both men began breathing through their mouths.

“Fuck, it reeks.” Paulie grunted as he began kicking the arms of the lift underneath the truck bed, “Does he have a trash can in there?”

“Cabs clean.” Zambai shrugged. “Maybe a raccoon crawled up in it and died.”

“Just my luck.” Paulie groaned as took a swig of his cup of coffee and held his thumb over the button that began raising the arms and hoisting the truck up off the ground, “Monday, and I have to deal with animal carcass.”

“That's what you get for coming in late.” Zambai sneered, arms crossed as he too watched the truck slowly ascend, “Always the shit detail.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Paulie rolled his eyes, “I get the lecture from Iceburg too; lay off.”

“Then stop complai--”

The truck stopped with a jolt as the arms reached their maximum height displaying the under belly of the truck to the two men below. Both of them falling silent as they stared up in matching expressions of horror as what appeared to be a body was strapped to the undercarriage.

The mangled remnants of the body displayed for them as most of the flesh had been torn away, the arms and legs spread wide as the wrists and ankles were tied to the vehicle. Dirt and gravel mixed with the carnage that was very obviously human remains, despite the fact that most of the skin had been shredded from the face and body and several vital organs hung precariously from the corpse.

Nothing was discernible on the disfigured human aside from a horrifyingly familiar blue star tattoo on the man's arm.

“Holy fuck...”

There was a splatter of vomit decorating the cement floor as Zambai emptied his morning meal while Paulie continued staring up at the mutilated body tied to the underside of the car. Jaw slack, coffee cup dangling from his fingers as his beverage was splashed across the floor.

“G-get me a phone...” Paulie murmured absently as a drop of blood slid down the undercarriage and hit the floor with a deafening drip.

~X~

Sitting in the sterilized waiting area of the Emergency Room, Sanji stared balefully at the wall across from him, slouched in one of the uncomfortable, barely padded chairs. The plastic arm rest dug into his side as he leaned into it to compensate for the fragility and pain of his hand.

A nurse had given him an ibuprofen to help manage pain and swelling as he waited his turn to see one of the on staff doctors. The ER was surprisingly busy for Sunday night and despite the horrible nature of his hand, the initial damage wasn't cause for immediate concern so he had to wait in line with everybody else.

Glancing down idly, he noted once more the unnatural bend in his finger and felt the nausea rise in his stomach. Quickly closing his eyes he stamped down the urge to vomit as the fresh memory of pain lanced through his mind. There was an aching throb emanating from his hand, but as long as he focused on not accidentally clenching the muscles then the pain was manageable.

“Sanji Black!”

Jerking as his name was called, he glanced around in confusion for a moment before spotting the nurse that had called his name. Her eyes locked with his and he pushed himself to his feet clumsily and made his way over to her. She gave a reassuring smile and lead him down the hall and into a small office.

“Take a seat.” She gestured to the medical bed inside, “The doctor will be with you shortly.”

Sanji nodded and gave a raspy, “Thanks.”

The door was shut behind him and he shuffled over to the bed, using his non-injured hand to push himself up onto it. Medical paper was stretched over it for sanitation purposes and it crinkled and tore under him as he once more returned to staring silently at the wall across from him.

Now that the pain had subsided enough and he was somewhere safe his thoughts had been in an unending cycle of panic over what had just occurred. He hadn't even been able to calm himself long enough to think of a viable plan beyond his internal shrieking of 'Zoro!'.

What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to do?

All he could think of was what would happen if he didn't follow through and what terrible things might happen to Zoro. Trying to stamp down his panic to think about the situation rationally just ended with him picturing Zoro's dead body and falling into another cycle of distress.

The door swung open and Sanji visibly jumped, his body and mind still unbelievably high strung from what had just happened. The doctor however seemed unaware as he walked in looking over the paperwork Sanji had filled out upon arrival.

“Alright, Mr. Black.” He muttered with a frown at the papers, looking up and eyeing Sanji's hand, “Let's take a look, shall we?”

Sanji slowly held out his hand, the motion hurting a lot more than he had been expecting. Without the support of leaning it against his body the pain surged up exponentially. The full weight of gravity pulling down on the already twisted finger as he gave a small grimace.

Remaining passive, the doctor very gently took Sanji's hand in his own and looked over the finger. A warm, careful hand rose to press lightly at the skin of the knuckle as he got a feel for what was happening inside Sanji's hand. He continued with a few more gentle prods that throbbed, looking over the injury critically.

“What happened?” The doctor asked simply, continuing his assessment thoroughly. Calculating eyes not removing from what he was doing.

“Mugged.” Sanji choked out quietly.

“Was there a struggle?”

Sanji nodded slowly, he had to make sure he kept his story the same and clear, it would not be good if he were to jumble his story and paint himself into a corner. No matter what the circumstance it was evident that he could not let the truth about Teach come out; it would only end badly for him.

“I put up a fight and was outnumbered.” Sanji explained tersely, the less information the better, “They decided to teach me a lesson for fighting back.”

The doctor nodded thoughtfully, finally releasing Sanji's hand and letting him cradle it against himself once more. Grabbing Sanji's papers and scribbling a few notes down that Sanji couldn't discern from his position. Once he was finished he lowered his pen and met Sanji's gaze.

“Your finger is dislocated, and judging by the swelling there might be some internal damage in your hand.” The doctor explained soothingly, “We're gonna have to take some x-rays and then get you sorted.”

“O-oh. Okay.” Sanji agreed, surprised that it was concluded so quickly.

“A nurse will be in to take you to get your x-rays done.” The doctor explained as he stood, tucking his clipboard under his arm, “I'll see you back here shortly.”

Sanji watched the man go, still a little dazed and not entirely sure what he was supposed to do, but it was taken from his hands as a nurse came and ushered him out. After being hurried along to another room he had his hand placed in various positions as the x-rays were completed, and it wasn't long before he was being brought back to the initial doctor's room.

It had been almost two hours since he had first arrived at the hospital and now as he waited for the doctor to return with the x-rays he found himself in danger of drifting off. The clock on the wall read three a.m. and Sanji wasn't sure how much longer he could stay awake.

Just as he found himself dozing from his seated position the doctor came striding in looking far too chipper for how exhausted Sanji was feeling. It may have been a regular night shift for the man, but Sanji was nearing on twenty four hours of no sleep and he was ready to leave as soon as possible. Body was beginning to become stiff as the adrenaline from the fght wore down, and an itching sensation of sand was beginning to form under his eyelids.

“Luckily there is no visible signs of a fracture to any of the metacarpals, so no surgery will be necessary,” The doctor explained with a reassuring smile, “However, we will need to fix that dislocation and put your fingers in a splint for a couple weeks, alright?”

“Sounds good.” Sanji nodded tiredly, the words stretched by a yawn as he swayed in his seat. The doctor seemed to notice and gave a small, comforting smile. Making his way over to the door and holding it open he waved at it with a reassuring gesture.

“Alright, then.” He nodded, “Follow me.”

~X~

Sanji left the hospital a little past five in the morning with his pinky and ring finger in a splint, a blinding pain surging from his knuckle, and a prescription for a bottle of medication to deal with the swelling. By the time he had gotten his prescription filled at a twenty-four hour pharmacy and got a cab home the sun was already rising and it was a little past seven.

Hand held close to his chest Sanji slowly made his way down the hall towards his apartment, his exhaustion pilling up as the entirety of the days events came crashing down on him all at once. So much had happened in the course of a single day, and his body was physically and mentally at its breaking point.

Fumbling with his keys, he gave a small thanks that at least it was his left hand that got damaged before finally managing to get the door open and shuffle inside. He couldn't think of anything beyond the safety of his bed at the moment, and maybe once he had gotten some sleep then he could actually begin to properly panic. As he made his way into his bedroom he remembered with utter disgust that he had work that day.

With an almighty groan he rummaged through his bag and pulled out the shattered shell of his old phone, wrestling out the SD card before making his way over to his desk. Pulling open the bottom drawer he pulled out one the older models he hadn't gotten rid of yet and threw the chip in it.

As he waited for it to boot up he began carefully pulling off his shirt, managing to get it up and over his arm without catching it on his injured finger. It was still somewhat awkward and he got stuck for a moment with it over his head before jerking it off and tossing it aside. Noting that the entire front of it was stained a dark red – no doubt from his bleeding nose from earlier – it was likely that he would have to just throw it out.

The heavier medication he had gotten from the hospital was kicking in and he was beginning to feel better mobility in his hand without cringing whenever his fingers flexed. However, it was also making him incredibly lethargic and was not helping him in his efforts to stay awake.

Snatching up his phone and making his way to his room he pulled up Ace's information and called him. Falling into bed with a groan as he held the phone to his ear, by the second ring he already felt himself drifting off and jumped when a voice spoke up.

“Hello~”

Sanji frowned in exhausted confusion, the voice sounding far too playful and bubbly, “Ace?”

“Nope,” A girlish voice giggled, “Baby.”

“Oh,” He grunted, recognizing the familiar voice on the other end now. Using his good fingers on his left hand to rub at his eyes in a futile attempt to keep himself in a semblance of consciousness, “Hey, Baby. Could you pass the phone to Ace?”

“Sure thing, sugar.” Baby crooned happily.

There was a bit of muffled talking in the background before Ace chirped, “Hey, bud. What's up?”

Fuck, wasn't that a question. If he could reply honestly he still would have no idea where to begin. In the course of a single day he had possibly tarnished the trust between him and his lover forever, had a run into with his celebrity stalker, and now was five hundred grand in debt to the mob with a death threat hanging over his head. Where was someone even supposed to begin with something like that?

“Uh, long story short I don't think I can make work tomorrow.” Sanji explained simply. Of course, there was no way in a million years he could ever tell Ace the truth, “Had to go to the hospital and I think I need a day in bed.”

“Oh, shit.” Ace muttered, “You sick? What happened?”

“Got jumped.” Sanji shrugged, best to keep his story the same with everybody. There was no need to have a mix up and get people asking questions, besides it was a partial truth, “A couple guys thought it'd be funny to use my hand as stress reliever.”

“Fuck, dude.” Ace voice went from complacent to fully concerned in under a second, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Sanji managed through a yawn, “Doctor fixed it but I haven't slept at all tonight and I think I just need a day to catch up.”

“Oh, for sure!” Ace agreed, “Hey, listen don't even worry about it. Take the week off and I'll mark the days as med leave, okay?”

“Thanks man,” There was a reason Sanji had loved working for the man, despite his childish and playful attitude towards work he was a genuinely good guy and cared about his employees. “You're the best.”

“Get some rest,” Ace berated with a soft chuckle, “ya hear?”

“Will do, bossman.” Sanji huffed softly back, Ace's jubilant voice enough to make even the coldest of people crack a small smile. “I'll text you when I feel better.

“Alright,” Ace affirmed happily, “bye.”

“Bye.”

With a click Ace hung up and Sanji turned to place his phone on the nightstand, barely getting under the covers before sleep and exhaustion fully enveloped him.

~X~

Sanji woke to darkness, the only light visible was from his phone as it rung incessantly on the desk beside the bed. Reaching over to grab it, Sanji groaned at the movement as his beaten body ached from its injuries. The medication having worn off in his sleep and the swelling coming back with a vengeance.

Arching enough to drag the phone over to himself, through squinting eyes he noted Zoro's name lit up across the screen and realized with a pang of guilt how worried the man must be. Preparing himself for the worst Sanji pressed 'Answer' and held the phone up to his ear.

Before he even managed a hello, Zoro was asking sharply, “Sanji?”

“Yeah,” Sanji murmured softly, trying to keep from talking too loud and ripping open his split lip that had begun to scab over in his sleep, “Hey.”

“Oh, fuck.” There was a long, heavy sigh from Zoro's end with a groan of relief before he spoke, “Damn.”

Sanji frowned in confusion and noted the time on his beside clock – a quarter past eight – as he realized he had slept through the entire day. Though why Zoro had been worried was striking him as a little odd, he usually went home Sunday nights. Only until recently when they had been staying at each other's apartments due to the murders...

“Right.” Sanji winced into the receiver, with everything else going on he had completely forgotten about how concerning it would be if he suddenly stopped responding. It was literally the worst time ever to have radio silence, “Shit, I'm sorry.”

“It's okay,” Zoro assured quickly, clearly floundering as he continued, “I just-”

Now that he knew Sanji wasn't possibly kidnapped or murdered the Dom was probably realizing his somewhat adorably concerned behaviour. It had Sanji smiling honestly for the first time in what felt like years as he listened to the other man ramble a little more on the other end.

“We're you worried about me?” Sanji finally crooned, unable to control his pleased grin that had his lip splitting open slightly, it stung but was easily ignored in favour of Zoro's voice. Somehow the man's comforting grumble was a better sedative than any prescription painkiller.

“Fuck yes, I was.” Zoro grunted, his blush practically audible through the line, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm--”

Sanji cut himself off. He wasn't sure where to even begin with the other man, he still hadn't even decided what he wanted to do about Teach, let alone decide whether or not he wanted to come clean with the other man. Considering it was Zoro's life on the line the man surely had the right to know but how on earth was he even supposed to broach that subject.

The truth would mean Sanji would have to ultimately come clean about everything that he had done, including the blackmail, and that would lead to a whole other can of worms being opened. Even if he didn't tell Zoro about Teach right now, telling the other man he got mugged would spark just as concerned a reaction.

Regardless of which story he fed the other man, chances are Zoro would rush over here in worry and Sanji wasn't sure he could handle the other man right now when he was barely keeping himself together. His mind was a chaotic mess and he needed to sort himself before dealing with the mentally taxing task of figuring out how to deal with Zoro, Teach, and the whole mess he had managed to get himself into.

“Um, it's complicated.” Sanji finally sighed, “Can I tell you about it in person?”

“Do you need me to come over?” Zoro intoned with concern, clearly biting back on his curiosity to just straight up ask Sanji what was wrong. He was grateful that the man could at least tell that this was something Sanji did not want to talk about over the phone.

“No,” Sanji managed, hoping for aloof, “It's not urgent; just hard to explain over the phone.”

“You sure?” Zoro urged, Sanji could tell from the man's voice that he was still highly concerned despite Sanji's insistence and it was likely going to be hard to placate the man.

“Yes.” Sanji assured with a small chuckle, hoping his laughter might ease the man's worry a tad, “I'll come by tomorrow, okay?”

“You better.”

After their goodbyes Zoro hung up and Sanji tossed his phone on the floor with a small whine and nestled back into the blankets, not quite ready to face the daunting and crushing reality that faced him beyond his bedroom doors. Curling in on himself and drifting off to sleep as he tried to ignore the terrifying truth.

~X~

The next time Sanji woke was reasonably early Tuesday morning, immediately popping several of his prescription medications since the one's from earlier had already worn off. Pain not only radiated from his hand, but the rest of his body as well. The hits he had sustained during the fight were all properly swollen and inflamed now.

Pushing himself up in bed with a pained grunt, he noted the stiffness to his body from prolonged sleeping as well as the heated pressure on his face from his injuries. Managing to pull himself to his feet with a stiff grimace, he snagged a fresh shirt and stared down at it absently as he found himself finally in a calm enough state of mind to realize the very real reality of the situation he currently found himself.

It was Tuesday.

Which meant he had three days and approximately twenty hours to figure out how he was possibly going to come up with five hundred thousand dollars by then. With his tentative two hundred thousand in savings he didn't even make it halfway to his needed amount. An amount which was steadily becoming more impossible to obtain every minute that ticked by.

There was no way he had enough time to possibly blackmail enough people for that kind of money. No bank would approve that kind of loan, especially since he had no credit record whatsoever. The odds of him being able to gamble the money at a casino and double it were next to nothing. And his last option was contacting a loan shark, but a request for that much money would instantly get turned down; no one in their right mind would think a kid like him could pay that much green back plus the ridiculous interest.

The terrifying truth of the matter was slowly setting in that he had absolutely no way to get that kind of money in the given time limit, and even if against all odds he did, it was not something he could hide from the other man forever. His hands were beginning to shake and he could feel his guts starting to churn as full panic began to set in, his breathing becoming short.

He needed water. Stumbling his way into the kitchen he snagged a spare glass and sprawled against the counter, holding the glass under the faucet as he clumsily turned on the tap. Water sloshed over the sides and down his hand, partially filling the cup before he brought it to his lips and downed the whole thing. Shoving it back under the stream, before repeating the cycle a couple more times.

By the time he had downed his third glass he felt a little better, his stomach less agitated and his hands had stopped shaking as one gripped the edge of the counter in a vice as the other clenched around the empty glass. For all his cleverness and wiles, for the first time in his life he found himself without answers and unable to ask anybody for help...

There was Zoro.

Zoro whom he trusted above all else. Zoro whom he had let into his life and heart. Zoro whom had accepted every flaw, and irksome thing that made Sanji who he was. Zoro whom had a right to know about the awful mess Sanji had dragged him into and the fact that he was in actual grave danger.

How on Earth was he supposed to tell the man?

Every single bit of Sanji's life would come into the open, and even then there was no guarantee that Zoro being made aware would keep him from getting hurt. It wasn't like telling the other man was really going to change the fact that Sanji didn't have enough money to save the life of the man he loved. Not only that, but who knew how Zoro would react to the truth, he might not be able to handle it and just leave Sanji.

And somehow losing Zoro was even more painful to him than the thought of him dying.

Sanji opened his eyes, glaring at the glass in his hand for a long, silent moment before turning and whipping it across the room in a vicious motion. The glass connecting with the wall and shattering instantly, the shards spraying across the floor as a sizable dent was left in the drywall. His rage bubbling to the surface finally and unable to contain it any more as he turned and upended his coffee table with a flailed kick.

Magazines, papers, and various other knickknacks went flying everywhere as the table landed on its side. The potted plant that had been in the centre upside down on the floor, the stem crushed and fertilizer strewn across the carpet. Turning his attention to anything else within reach as he began knocking things off his bookshelf and desk; ambivalent to anything that shattered on the ground.

No matter how much he destroyed, it didn't seem to quell the raging beast within the blond and Sanji turned with a final enraged yell to kick the remnants of the plant, spraying dirt across the room and sending shards of the broken pot into the wall, “ARGH!”

Sanji fell to his knees, hands cradling his head and he fought back tears that were desperate to fall and streak his face. The destruction had done nothing to ease the magnanimous frustration that raged within him and the pain lancing through his hand hardly gave any clairvoyance.

He had been happy.

For once in his life everything had been good, perfect even. He had a perfect job that was looking to evolve into a stable career, he had friends and a social life that was fulfilling, and he had found himself in an amazing relationship with a man that he had gotten the fortune to fall in love with. And now all of it was threatened to be destroyed.

It was as if he was a child all over again, sitting in that hospital bandaged and drugged after the car accident where everything was torn from him. Parents, friends, school. All of it changed that day and he had been fighting for some semblance of normality ever since. Expect the horrible, gut-wrenching truth was that this time it wasn't the fault of a hydroplaning car; this time it was all his.

He'd painted himself in a proverbial corner by blackmailing, and had not realized his error until his back was fully up against the wall. No policeman, justice system, or government could help him now; he had been a fool. Any vie for help would bring his illegalities to light and have him sent to jail faster than anyone simply threatening him. Not to mention Teach made it perfectly clear Zoro would be long dead before Sanji even got used to the federal penitentiary accommodations.

And he wasn't about to have someone else die because of him.

Taking a long, shuddering breath Sanji pressed his hands into his face – the spark of pain from his finger stabilizing his panic – as he took a final moment to compose himself. If the law wasn't going to be on his side, then he was going to have to solve his whole thing outside of it. He honestly had no idea how, but he wasn't about to give up.

Pushing himself to his feet, he cast a look around his trashed living room in dismay, but was unable to find a sliver of regret as the tantrum had at least allowed him to get out a minute bit of aggravation. Leaving it for later he made his way into the bathroom, needing to calm himself.

Turning on the tap, he cupped some water in a single hand and splashed it on his face, doing so a couple more times before shutting the water off. Running his hand down his face a final time to get some of the residual water, he balefully met his reflection in the mirror and cringed.

It looked like hell.

A large cut ran down the side of his swollen lip, the bruising a marbled purple and blue, as the scab was crusting and still oozing a bit of blood. His jaw was just as decorated and the swelling trailed up to his right eye that was am impressive shade of black, made all the more noticeable by the bags under his eyes from his restless sleep.

Nicks, cuts and small tape stitches littered his face while a large bandage was wrapped around his head to hold the gauze over the stitches to the back of his skull. His hair an erratic mess with bits of blood and dirt muddled in it, and he knew that the shirt he had discarded on the floor of his room was so stained with blood there would be no salvaging it.

A vibration from his pocket had him jumping, doggedly glancing around for a moment before remembering his phone and wrestling it from his pocket. Stomach dropping as he noted the text and whom it was from, still not sure if he was ready to face him.

It was from Zoro.

Coming over?

Fuck.

Remembering his half-asleep conversation with the man the night before and his promise to go over to the man's place. Zoro was already concerned, and as intuitive as he was, if Sanji didn't show Zoro would probably come over here looking for an explanation.

Considering the state of his living room that was a whole other issue he didn't want to get into with the Dom right now. He needed to put the man's mind at ease and at least explain his injuries away before coming up with a viable solution to the money problem.

Groaning softly, he carefully cradled the phone in both hands as he replied simply, already dreading what was to come.

Yeah, I'll be over in a bit.

Without even waiting for Zoro's response he began underdressing, needing to at least shower and hopefully make himself more presentable to the man. The less it looked like had just crawled from a ditch, the easier it would hopefully be to put the other man's mind at ease.

~X~

Sanji stood outside Zoro's apartment door trying to find the last bit of his resolve to be able to handle the up coming situation. Despite the long bus ride he still had no idea what he was going to say, or if he should even say anything at all. Every rehearsed conversation in his head either led to a dead end, or had him admitting too much. Some even had him tearing up on the bus as he wished he could just tell the man the truth and that would somehow fix everything.

Closing his eyes and swallowing, he tried to hold on to his courage as he raised an anxious hand to give three succinct raps on the wood with his knuckles. Bating his breath as he heard movement from within, and the padding of feet as the man slowly neared the door. Sanji heart jumped into his throat as he could hear the man's hand on the knob and when the door opened wide Sanji found everything within him shattering in a single moment.

Zoro greeted him with a slanted grin that completely disarmed Sanji as he stared back hopelessly, all of the walls he had built up that day to be able to face this man were crumbling. That smile making Sanji want to stare at it forever, until the man took in Sanji's appearance and it was replaced by concern and slight horror.

“Sanji,” Zoro murmured quietly, eyes skittering across Sanji's mauled face before finally settling on the massive bandage and splint currently holding Sanji's left hand together, “What the hell happened?”

Sanji lifted his hand, looking down at it with slack lips as he debated just telling Zoro the truth. He knew he shouldn't, but the lies had been steadily growing, and this was so far out of his control, and upon seeing Zoro all his resolved shrivelled and died.

“I got mugged.” Sanji finally managed tightly, his throat pinched as he mentally berated himself for his cowardly behaviour, but he simply couldn't deal with what the truth would entail right now. All he needed right now was to fall into the man's comforting arms and forget for a moment that his perfect life was probably going to be over in three days.

Zoro seemed only a tad abated as he urgently pulled Sanji inside and closed the door as he began looking over the rest of the blond as though checking for any other damage aside from the bruising. Fingers skittering across Sanji's face as he took in all the nicks and cuts but being careful not to actually apply any pressure before moving down to Sanji's hand to cup it gently.

“How bad is it?” Zoro asked quietly, carefully cradling the injured hand in both of his, thumbs coming up to rest on top. Sanji could tell that despite the man's usually steady hands, he was clearly fighting to keep them from trembling.

“Dislocated.” Sanji lied easily, “Apparently fighting with my hands is not my strong point.”

Zoro nodded quickly in understand, a little of his worry seemingly eased before turning his full attention to the hand as he inspected the splint and the visible swelling through the bandages. Thanks to the pain killers Sanji couldn't really feel it right now, but even just looking at it caused visceral pain to flash through his mind.

“At least tell me you got them back just as bad?” The Dom finally asked, obviously trying to make light talk despite how furious he seemed to be underneath.

“Well, one of them definitely has a broken nose,” Sanji mused with a small chuckle, “and another might have some internal bleeding.”

“Good.” Zoro grunted with a returned huff, before looking up at Sanji with a hardened stare, “How many of them were there?”

“Four or five.” Sanji repeated the same answer he gave the doctor, best to keep the story straight, “Wasn't able to keep count too well.”

Zoro only nodded in understanding, hands beginning a slow, reassuring stroke up the blond's arm in what was clearly an attempt to try and distract from the pain and hopefully relieve some of the tension. Sanji honestly hadn't noticed how tense his whole arm had been from the injury, but as Zoro worked out the knots Sanji found himself visibly relaxing.

“I'm sorry for making you worry.” Sanji ducked his head, shaking it slowly as he muttered, “I got home by about seven in the morning and I just passed out; I didn't even think--”

“It's fine.” Zoro cut him off swiftly, his tone clearly stating that it was not up for discussion and that he didn't want to hear any more apologizes from the blond. Looking back up Sanji found the softness and concern in his stare disarming, heart clenching as he removed his hand from Zoro's grip and threw both his arms around the other man.

Zoro was momentarily taken aback by the hug, his arms raised awkwardly around Sanji – as it wasn't something they did often – before slowly coming around the blond in tight hold. Sanji ignored the pang from his bruised ribs and revelled in the embrace as he buried his face into Zoro's neck and inhaled deeply.

The heady scent of the man's musk instantly calmed his nerves as he tightened his hold even more, wishing he could never let go. All he wanted was Zoro; for the man to consume him entirely and make him forget about every horrible thing in his life. If only he could stay in this moment forever, just meld into the other man and never have worry about the concerns of the outside world.

Pulling back just a bit he locked lips with the other man, gentleness gone as he urged the man to respond just as desperately as he was. His whole body was vibrating with his need for the other man to respond, to captivate him body and mind, and hopefully make him forget about his pain and panic for even just a few minutes.

Zoro returned the kiss tentatively, allowing to be pulled into Sanji's desires as he seemed to understand that it helped calm the blond, but he refused to rise to Sanji's attempts to further it, keeping the kiss closed and relaxed. Each one a lingering promise of adoration and protection, but never becoming fiery.

“You're hurt.” Zoro murmured skeptically as his lips remained against the blond's, “Do you really think this is a good idea?”

“All I've felt for the last two days is pain,” Sanji argued pleadingly, pressing urgent kisses along Zoro's neck even though the man refused to budge, “I just want to take my mind off it.”

Take my mind off of everything.

“I don't--” Zoro shook his head, “I don't think it's a good idea given your injury.”

“I don't want anything like that.” Sanji urged with a frustrated twitch, glancing around as he tried to vocalize what he wanted. Snapping back to staring at Zoro once more as he demanded, “I just want you and me.”

Zoro watched Sanji steadily, those amber eyes reading deeper into him than anyone ever had before. He couldn't tell what Zoro was looking for, or what he found, but he seemed to find enough to understand what Sanji wanted. However, he still seemed reluctant at he watch Sanji with concern.

“Please.” Sanji added quietly. Considering Sanji's defiant nature as a sub whenever they slept together Zoro knew Sanji didn't bed easily, and the blond silently hoped that the man would understand how badly he needed this right now. It seemed to be enough as Zoro's body relaxed and he leaned into Sanji heavily.

“Okay.” Zoro murmured softly with a small nod of assurance, a smile touching his lips in response to Sanji's own beaming one of gratitude. Ducking down he tucked his arm behind Sanji's knees and the other curled around his back before hefting Sanji up into his arms.

“I can walk.” Sanji stated petulantly, trying for his normal banter but the facade hardly fooling Zoro as the man just chuckled and began walking towards the bedroom.

“Let me take care of you.” He responded simply, pushing open the door with his shoulder before nearing the bed. Placing Sanji down on it with as much care as he possibly could before climbing on after, lips finding Sanji's once more. Their initial kiss drawing out for what felt like an eternity as it remained tender and playful.

It wasn't like the other times. The other times had all been lust driven with selfish goals and needy actions; both ravaging the other in a desperate attempt for mutual release. All boiling passion as they had consumed each other so completely. Even their short sessions on the couch, or in the kitchen had been aggressively heated.

This however, was indescribably intimate. The urgent neediness was replaced with a passion so calm and soothing it was warping Sanji in ways he hadn't felt before. Heart aching with every tender kiss, body singing in tempered bliss from each gentle caress; wanting to feel this euphoria forever.

Each kiss was so prolonged and impactful – like Zoro was trying to voice everything and anything he could into the single motion – Sanji couldn't help but arching into the simple motion with unhinged desire. So long fighting the truth of his love for the man, he no longer cared if his desperate actions revealed his secret, just wanting to enjoy this as much as he could in this moment.

Zoro took his time slowly undressing both of them – always cautious of Sanji's hand – as he took his time mapping out each inch of Sanji's body with reverence. By the time he had worked his fingers inside the blond and prepared him Sanji couldn't tell how much time had passed, his body so blissfully relaxed despite how painfully aroused he was. And when Zoro was inside him it was like none of the other times. 

Every other time Zoro had been inside of him – stretching him, branding him, owning him – it had always been for Sanji. Each perfect thrust, each needy grind, each snap of his hips had all been to pleasure Sanji. But this time it was different. It wasn't about pleasuring Sanji, or getting himself off. 

This time it was for them.

There was no rush as Sanji's mind was wiped blank and he basked in the slow, achingly erotic thrusts from the other man. His body sang in jubilant pleasure as Zoro slid impossibly deep inside of him, body so relaxed he couldn't feel the stretch, only the intimate slide of hard flesh.

Sanji found himself getting closer as each carefully placed grind from the other man's hips had him rubbing up against his prostate with each movement. His body growing tenser even as his mind slipped further away from him, only able to conjure a simple want.

“Le-let me ride you?” Sanji asked carefully, hoping the pleading edge wasn't as obvious to Zoro as it was to his own ears.

Zoro stared down at Sanji for a moment in shock before nodding quickly, arms holding Sanji against him as he rolled them over, keeping himself pinned inside Sanji. Leaning back more comfortably against his pillow, Zoro kept a tentative hand on the blond's hips as he relinquished control.

Adjusting his knees for better movement, Sanji began moving with a blissful groan as Zoro managed to slide even deeper inside of him. The tension from his oncoming release apparent as his motions became a bit more hurried, keeping his injured hand at his side as the other gripped Zoro's thigh behind him and helped himself ride the man a bit more forcefully. All amber eyes staring up at him in adoration, making his chest swell painfully at the surge of emotions it garnered.

Sanji breath hitched in his chest as his orgasm became imminent and Zoro immediately sat up, arm wrapping around Sanji as the other gripped his erection and helped pump him through it. A few more powerful thrusts from the Dom had Sanji coming with a muffled cry into Zoro's shoulder, the intimacy and tenderness of everything rocking him to his core as his orgasm punched through him and left him gasping.

“Sanji, I lo--” Zoro cut himself off with a groan, burying his face in Sanji's neck as he jerked up into the blond one final time before going still. Holding Sanji painfully close as he came while Sanji returned the hold just as desperately, his hands clutching at Zoro's back as he tried to pull himself as close to the man as possible.

Zoro's arms kept him firmly planted in the other man's lap and Sanji continued to hold onto to the other man, foggy headed and numb bodied, Sanji wanted to stay in this perfect embrace forever. Not wanting to return to the terrifying reality that this might be the last time he ever held the other man like this. 

A silent sob wracked his body at the thought, but thankfully played it off as a post-coital shudder as he tried desperately to compose himself before having to look the other man in the eye once more. Once he felt a little less vulnerable he pulled back to meet Zoro's hazel eyes, still seated comfortably on his lap.

Zoro's gaze was already clear as he stared up at Sanji warmly, “Feel better?”

Sanji didn't trust himself to speak, just nodded with a sincere smile and placed a grateful kiss on the man's closed lips. Zoro had been far too patient and understand considering the way Sanji had been acting these past few days, and he still had no idea what he had done to deserve it. But it only solidified that fact that he had to protect this man no matter the cost.

As Zoro pulled out with a satisfied groan, he laid Sanji back on the bed with a pinched expression, as though fighting within himself to say something. Seeming to think better of it as he rose to turn off the lights before returning to the bed and pulling Sanji close to his chest. A delicate, loving kiss was placed to the top of Sanji's head and with Zoro's arms enveloping him he fell into the first deep sleep he had managed in days.

TBC...


	18. Sacrifice

Everything was dark. Feet carefully tracing the earth beneath as Sanji spun in slow circles, trying to find anything around him that might be discernible from the blackness. Reaching out through the darkness in a desperate attempt to find anything just as his outstretched arms connected with what felt like long, flowing curtains. Hands sliding over them as he tried to find the edge so he could pull them aside.

As his fingers curled around a fold in the silken sheets, he barely moved to draw back the curtain before the fabric was turning to straw in his hands as he parted the long stalks and pushed himself through into a field of corn. Foot immediately hooking on something as he jerked forward and collided with the ground, knees and hands skidding as his jaw connected with the cold earth. 

Taking a moment of reprieve for his clumsiness, he gasped against the leaf covered ground before turning with a jerk to see what he had tripped over; noting the blackened husk of an ear of corn on the ground. Eyes skirting upwards he began to realize that everything growing from the stalks was dead – charcoal grains of corn peeking out from their dry, shaky husks – their parched, crooked stalks extending into the black sky above, not a star in sight. 

A shadow loomed ever darker in the already grey field, and as Sanji turned he found himself tripping over his feet once more. Tumbling until his back pressed up against the stalks bordering the clearing he had found himself, staring up in horror at the monument erected in the centre.

Jaw open, silent scream tearing his insides, as he stared up at the gaunt, haunted face of the scarecrow that had once been a young boy. Skin peeling from the time spent in the sun as bits of straw poked out from rotten holes that had been picked by crows. Ratty clothes – long since sun bleached – falling from the shell of a body in tattered scraps, gently twisting in the summer breeze that hung over the field.

Sanji continued to struggle to get out words – even a cry for help – but the fear kept it suppressed painfully in his chest. An eerie stillness fell suddenly on the field as the wind could no longer be heard amoungst the stalks, and only Sanji's horrified panting echoed loudly.

A creaking started very quietly – barely noticeable over Sanji's breathing – but it eventually grew louder. Like a piece of old rubber being stretched, the tension causing it to crack and tear. It took only a moment to realize it was coming from the scarecrow as it slowly began to move, heading lifting as empty eye sockets stared directly at Sanji. A toothless, slash of a mouth opening as though trying to speak.

Sanji found himself frozen to the spot in fear. Staring in horror as the mouth continued to move and twist but nothing discernible came out. Lifting a shaking hand he tried to place it behind himself to slowly move away, only he was met with nothingness, and when he turned sharply to look he found himself tumbling backwards into darkness once more.

The blind fall was completely silent but for his own distressed breathing that echoed loud in his ears, but it only lasted a few moments before it ended. A jerking sensation hooked his chest as he hit something solid and sprawled on his back with a pained grunt.

Air whooshed from his lungs as he cracked open a wincing eye to see the shaded canopy of deciduous trees far above him, their branches just vaguely outlined by the dark, starless sky. Pushing himself up, pine needles and leaves crunched beneath his hands as he slowly worked himself to his feet. Turning on the spot to take in the endless sea of trees that he found himself within.

The edges of trees shifting and sliding as his mind told him it was a dream, but his fear keeping him latched onto the scene in a desperate fit of possible reality. Stumbling through the root infested forest floor he soon found himself in front of a fence with a small plot of healthy soil nestled in front of it.

Frowning at the oddity of a fence in the middle of the forest, he neared it slowly as a distant sound could be heard from within. A chiming? Like something metal clanking together in the wind. Leaning a bit closer to try and discern it better, he found himself jumping away in shock just as suddenly.

The soil upturned and a hand shot out of the earth – moulted and pale flesh covered in black soil and clots of dirt – bony fingers stretching and clawing desperately at the sky above. A golden trinket hung from the wrist, its radiance misplaced around the dying arm it clung to. It was struggling, clawing at the dirt around it as though trying to dig itself out before returning to its desperate attempts to reach outward for help.

Launching forward Sanji began scraping desperately at the dirt to try and uncover the trapped person, but it was futile. No matter the amount of dirt he pulled away, the ground remained untouched. The hand was beginning to grow erratic as though the captive was running out of air and Sanji launched himself at the hand, taking the cold flesh in a firm grasp and pulling up desperately. 

But nothing gave.

Suddenly the hand twisted, fingers curling into Sanji's forearm as the dirt encrusted nails dug in deep and drew blood. Crimson lines trailing down his arm to pool in the crevasses of her death grip and to drip down further to get absorbed by the black earth.

Body quivering in fear, he stared down at the hand latched onto his arm, not wanting to abandon the person but desperate to pull his arm out of the terrifying grasp. The decision was taken from him as a powerful jerk had him falling to his knees, hand and wrist pulled under the soil as he began his own inane struggling.

Another gut wrenching jerk and he was tugged towards the earth, the sensation of air leaving his lungs and dirt in his mouth accosted him. Blackness engulfing his vision despite his eyes being open, and then a flash of that innocent girls face, morphed and twisted by death staring up at him hollowly.

Dead eyes stared at him as a scream was ripped from his throat and he inhaled a mouthful of dirt before he launched himself from the grave with a cry. Hunched over as he wretched painfully, clots of dirt spat from his mouth as he took in painful gasps of air. Reaching up to rub the dirt from his eyes, Sanji's hand met nothing and as he cracked open an eye the only thing on the ground was puddle of his own bile and saliva.

Groaning and pushing himself away, it was the first time he realized he was no longer in the forest, but instead kneeling on a floor of polished wood. The cracks in the old slats smooth and worn from age, and the delicate marble walls cast in shadow had an eerie familiarity that he couldn't place in his dream world.

Reaching up a hand he wiped the last trail of saliva from his chin, hand pausing mid-motion as a faint clacking was beginning behind him. A sound a kin to wood tapping and rubbing on wood as Sanji sent a terrified glance behind himself to find the source.

Several feet away sat a small wooden doll leaned haphazardly against it's former case. The marionette's head tittered lightly, the creaking of the wood deafening as splintering sounds emanated from the small doll as the head slowly began to turn. Gleaming glass eyes stared right at him with a lifelike quality that haunted Sanji.

Blood began slowly leaking from the eyes, scarlet stains trailing down the maple of the marionette's childlike face before reaching the neck and soaking into the fabric of its hand stitched shirt. Sanji reeled with panic as he recognized the innocent doll from the news that housed the corpse of a young boy.

Shuffling backwards as his eyes remained petrifyingly pinned to the blood that continued to pour from the marionette in drooling lines. His attempts to get away were blocked suddenly as his back connected with something and he twisted to see a large taxidermy of a deer he was also painfully familiar with from the news.

A pained groan – like that of a child – began to surface from the deer and Sanji panicked, shutting his eyes and covering his ears against the haunting noise. But even as he smothered himself to his own senses the creaking of the doll grew louder and the groaning of the deer grew more deafening as he curled in on himself in a pitiful attempt to try and escape.

The sounds grew in a crescendo, penetrating deeper into his psyche as the noises seemed to echo inside his own head. Breathing coming in short gasps, his body trembling in fear as he desperately tried to shut out the horror he was being faced with. And just as he was moments from crying out; they stopped.

Sanji remained wary for a moment, on his knees with his forehead placed to the floor as he revelled in the lack of shrieking sounds. Slowly pulling his hands away from his ears to find nothing to be heard, before gently cracking open his eyes as he sat up to be met with complete darkness once more. His mind calming in this dream much faster than was rational, but unable to comprehend the oddness of it.

Glancing around he noted he was alone once more, but his sigh of relief was cut off as a beacon of light sparked into life and lit up a circle several feet away from him. The light illuminating a slumped, kneeling body of what appeared to be a woman; her head dipped forward and her long hair hiding her face.

Sanji knew he shouldn't approach, but the forcefulness of his dream had him rising to his feet and moving forward against his will. Placing a trembling hand on her shoulder and giving a light shake before asking in a cracked voice, “Miss, are you okay?”

No answer.

Sanji removed his hand and the body shifted, head falling back and exposing the entirety of her open neck, head dangling by a thread of skin remaining. Spine and esophagus completely revealed – though long since drained of blood – and her dangling head pale as fresh snow. Dark brown eyes blown to a demonic black as she stared blankly into the emptiness of death; her long ebony hair trailing on the ground, tips slick from the blood on the floor.

Taking a panicked step back his heel slipped in the blood and sent him sprawling once more on the floor. The cold, tacky blood soaking through his clothes and chilling his spine as he raised shaking, blood soaked hands. Deep garnet lines sluicing down his trembling fingers as he sat up with a scream at the same moment he sat up in bed and let the same cry leave his lips.

Sanji launched forward from where he had been laying in bed, sitting fully as the scream finally faded and there was a surreal moment where his surroundings didn't correlate to the twisted false ones of his dreams. It took several moments to discern where he was as he gasped loudly into the dark bedroom.

Thrashing with the sheets that tried to confine him, he nearly screamed again when strong arms wrapped around him and for certain were going to drag him back under the soil just like that poor girl. However, it wasn't cold earth that pressed up against his back, but a warm chest. And those arms that had for a moment been restraining Sanji of his flailing fell into a close hug, one hand carding through his hair soothingly.

Lips were at his ear, whispering things Sanji could hardly process, but the reassuring baritone of his lover had him relaxing back into the embrace a little further. The breath of relief he let out was jarring, shaking his whole body as he began telling himself that the dream hadn't been real, that he was safe.

“Shhh.” Zoro soothed gently into Sanji's hair, hand coming up to stroke the strands with gentle motions, fingers carding through the silken hair before rubbing calming circles at the base of his skull, “I'm here. You're fine.”

Zoro slowly laid them back down in the bed, keeping his hold on Sanji and cradling him until long after he fell asleep, despite the fact that Sanji could not. Not with the morbid vision of those poor dead people that would pop into his head every time he closed his eyes. And not with the looming fear that he could be next.

~X~

When Sanji had finally managed to fall asleep there were already hints of light outside, and when Zoro got up to get ready for work the blond remained in bed half-asleep as he couldn't find the energy to get up, nor the will to talk about what had happened. A hazy peek out of one eye at the lines of Zoro's back told Sanji the man was on edge, and Sanji felt that ever present pang of guilt as he was obviously the one responsible.

Unaware, Zoro slowly got himself dressed; black pants tugged smoothly over lean hips as a leather belt was fed through the loops, a blue undershirt pulled over his head with a clean motion as his hands seemed to pause on the hem. The man was clearly deep in thought, the muscle lines still visible along his shoulder's too tight for having just woken up.

A barely discernible sigh left the man as he snagged a dark green button up and slung it on, leaving the front unbuttoned as he grabbed a spare jacket and made for the door. When Zoro walked by the bed to give a quiet good-bye before leaving, Sanji feigned sleep as Zoro ran a tender hand through his silken hair and murmured, “Get some rest.”

Sanji listened to the man putter about the apartment as he made his breakfast, and packed his lunch. News on the television distantly playing – reporting yet another victim of the Seattle 'Crucifier' – as the smell of fresh coffee came wafting through the bedroom. Eventually everything died down and Sanji listened as the front door was closed and then locked as the Dom finally left for work.

Allowing himself a poignant moment before pushing himself up, Sanji swung his legs out of bed before running his uninjured hand down his face in exhaustion. It had been a long time since he had had a nightmare that bad, but it seemed that his stress from the past week had finally caught up with him. In all honestly the killer was the least of his worries at the moment, but it seemed the perfect justice that that would be tormenting him too.

Stalking over to the bathroom he numbly went through the motions; relieving himself, showering, getting dressed, and making his way out to the kitchen. A cups worth of coffee was left in the pot from Zoro, but Sanji couldn't find the energy to even smile as he filled up a mug; he didn't feel like he deserved such courtesy from the other man.

Leaning against the island in the kitchen, he sipped at his coffee as he balefully stared at a few of the photos and knick-knacks gracing the fridge. Simple silver magnets held up a few postcards, as well as a note or two clearly written by patients of the doctor as 'Thank You's', and there was even one of Zoro himself; a graduation cap on his head and a cheeky smile on his face.

Sanji stared long and hard at the innocent photograph, growing more resigned with every passing minute. He finished the last dredges of his coffee as the bitterness became two fold. Sanji couldn't quite place what it was but with the way they had made love last night Sanji was beginning to realize that no matter the outcome on Friday, he was probably going to have to let Zoro go. Whether it was by his hand or another's...

Washing his cup out in the sink, he made sure all the lights were turned off before letting himself out, locking the door behind himself with the key Zoro had entrusted him. Turning the small, silver key over in his hand while making his way down the stairs he realized he'd probably have to return it to the man at some point in the next couple days. A thought that had him pocketing with a agonized grimace as he exited the apartment complex and began walking down the street. 

Passing by the bus stop he pulled a cigarette free from the crushed package in his pocket, the paper bent at a worn angle but still salvageable; desperately in need of a cigarette to hopefully dampen some of his stress. Struggling with his injured hand, he eventually lit it up as he waited for the light at the crosswalk to change, taking a heady drag as he wished for the nicotine to drown all the pain.

The walk between their apartments was quite a distance, but it would give him more than enough time to be properly alone with his thoughts. Something that he knew he needed; he needed a plan, and he needed to come to terms with the fact that his perfect little life was coming to an end.

An hour passed as he stewed in his personal miasma of emotions; circulating thoughts and realizations as he approached the park near his apartment. Keeping to the sidewalk that skirted the park, it was quite a while before he dragged himself from his self-absorbed pity to notice a large gathering. Out in the middle of the open field there was a bustling crowd of people that even under the hot early summer sun seemed to have a cold sadness hanging over them. They were clearly gathered over something, and a few vendor like tents that were set up seemed to be offering some sort of service.

Sanji knew he should ignore it, but his curiosity got the better of him – practically begged for a distraction from his current problems – and he found himself steering off the path and walking across the field before he had even caught himself. Stifling the remnants of his third cigarette, he tucked the butt into the package so as not to bother anybody with his habit.

As he neared, Sanji slowly noticed the solemn expressions on everyone's faces and the drab, black clothing that seemed out of place in the sunny weather. He immediately felt awkward at the notion he might have stumbled upon a funeral, and was moments from darting around the gathering and heading in a more roundabout path to his apartment when something caught his eye.

Weaving his way through the crowd he eventually stumbled past a few people grieving together quietly to see what he had spotted and with it the realization of what this gathering was all about. Six large oil canvas paintings were placed side by side with wreaths, candles, poems and every manner of grieving trinket and thoughtful gift possible surrounding them. Bouquets of flowers bloomed from around each painting, as more were continually added by passersby. 

The paintings themselves were painfully beautiful.

Obviously all done by the same person, but they were clearly copies of photos that had been provided by loved ones. All of them with vibrant smiles on their faces, and happiness in their eyes; whomever was responsible captured each person with true joy on their faces. Some staring past the camera at the photographer with a mirthful gaze, and others with eyes crinkled in a candid shot, but each and every one of them agonizingly beautiful.

As Sanji slowly walked by each photo he recognized each face that had been plastered all over the news the past few months. Their names forever burned into his memory along with the rest of everyone else in the city mourning their lost; these children and young adults had become a part of everyone.

Looking down quietly at the large painting of the boy named Luffy, he found himself enraptured at the way the artist had conveyed his smile. A grin that was undaunted by the troubles of the world and spoke only of kindness, his eyes closed with the force of his cheeky smile. A mournful pang rose in Sanji's chest as he realized that smile would never grace this world again, and somehow was dimmer all for it.

As Sanji blinked, a sharp, clear memory of his nightmare flashed vividly before his eyes of that mangled boys face, before dispersing as he gasped sharply. Blinking the image away as he focused on the painting once more, assuring himself that it had just been a horrible dream.

“Are you alright, dear?” A soft, tender voice murmured, causing Sanji to glance down at an old woman standing beside him, her aged face watching him with genuine concern. 

“Yeah...” Sanji managed, furtively glancing back at the painting and shaking himself, “I'm fine.”

Without waiting for a response he continued down the line of paintings, glancing at them a little more cautiously as he fought to keep the horrible pictures and notions that the media had advertised out of his mind. Focusing solely on the almost silly portrait of the long nosed boy with one eye shut and his tongue partially sticking through his teeth with a grin. Or the innocent painting of the young brown haired boy giving a wide-eyed, puffed-out-chest grin right at the camera.

Beyond them the two women whom had disappeared had their murals right next to each other; each a radiating figure of beauty and mirth. The young redhead's eyes sparkling with confidence and pride, her flowing red hair curling around her radiant face like a mane. The older woman with a tender smile gracing her wise, elegant face as she seemed to be staring off somewhere distantly.

Sanji stopped in front of the final painting that was different from the others – the paint still seemed wet in the early afternoon sun – the cheeky optimism on the man's face was still apparent however. Electric blue hair slicked back as he winked at the camera charismatically. Sanji didn't know whom this man was, but he had a horrible suspicion that it had to do with the news he had heard earlier that morning. 

Each painting told a story, and made you feel like you knew the person beyond the paint. Beyond their terrible fate and the stories that the media had painted for the public. Seeing each of these honest reflections of these people made their loss real, and the pain devastating.

And in that moment it made all of Sanji's troubles seem small.

In the wake of what happened to these people, his troubles were hardly worth mentioning. Despite his struggle, these people would never again get to experience the brilliance of life no matter the turmoil. Each of them would probably give anything to simply be alive once more, regardless of the consequences. And for Sanji to think that his world was over because he might have to let go of someone he cared about; was foolish when standing in front of this jury of innocents that would give anything to simply feel again.

Sanji eyes began to burn, his nose stinging, and he raised a hand to press against the bridge of his nose to desperately try and stifle it. It hurt, but now was not the time to embrace his own horrible realizations; not when the people here had an actual right to be grieving and he did not.

Managing to get control of his emotions, he shook off the stinging in his eyes and turned away from the paintings and weaved his way back out of the crowd. Making his way from the memorial, a sadness clinging to him, but also a unabashed sense of liberation over his previous selfish emotions.

~X~

Pushing his way into his apartment, hand still pressing into his brow in exhaustion he noted mildly that his apartment was still a trashed mess. Closing the door behind himself as he stepped into the centre of the chaos that so very well mimicked the current state of Sanji's life at the moment.

Trudging balefully into his apartment he didn't even bother to remove his shoes as he shuffled into the mess of his living room and glanced around mutely. While yesterday he had been a wired concoction of seething, panicked emotions, today he found himself a calm presence of enlightenment and brevity. 

Sanji vaguely wondered if he was in shock.

Shifting his feet, there was a crunch of something breaking and he glanced down curiously and lifted his foot. Noting the papers, soil, and debris underneath, as well as a piece of the pot that had shattered. Just as he was about to put his foot back down his eye caught on something peeking through some scattered papers. A corner of black with a small smiley face peeking out.

Anything...

Slowly bending down, he plucked the card from the debris – careful to not touch any of the broken glass – before standing and turning the card over in his hand. In all the panic over getting enough money he had momentarily forgotten about the idle threats from the other man, but now very much aware of what he had been offered.

Flipping the card over one final time he stopped with the phone number facing him, the numbers printed starkly on the paper as the world seemed to stand still for a moment as the weight of what this could mean fully set in. Sound fading to a loud buzz as Sanji locked eyes with the number of the man that could potentially be the only solution to the mess he had gotten himself into.

Buzzing growing louder and louder in his ears, before sharply shutting his eyes and everything was quiet once more. Save for the traffic outside and the distant echo of his neighbours voices through the paper thin walls. Hand dropping as he clutched the card.

He couldn't.

But...

But there was really no price for Zoro's safety.

Brow furrowing in resolution, he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed the number on the card before crumpling it tightly in his hand in hopes to stop the nervous shaking as he strode across the room purposefully. Every three strides echoed by a succinct ring into his ear, before turning on his heel and pacing another three in time to the chime. Sanji's heart raced, his pulse pounded in his ears, and by the fifth ring his mouth had gone dry with the realization of what he was about to do; just as the ringing ceased.

There was a click as the phone was answered and before even allowing the other man to speak he was immediately talking over top of him. If he was going to do this then he was going to run the conversation, and not give the man the opportunity to play with him. Considering the time limit, he needed answers now lest he need to try something else.

“Anything?” Sanji asked bluntly, trying to keep himself calm even as the ever rising flood of nervousness clenched at his guts. His hands were already becoming clammy, rubbing his free hand against jeans to try and ease some of the tension while ignoring the itch that had started under his splint. The tension in the air while Sanji waited for the man to talk was suffocating and it was taking all of his motivation not to just hang up the phone.

“Excuse me?” Doflamingo drawled lazily, “Whom is speaking, may I ask?”

“Sanji.” Sanji bit out aggressively, the man knew exactly who he was and Sanji was not up for being toyed with right now, “And you said you'd be willing to do anything to have me; did you mean that?”

“Ooh.” Doflamingo crooned happily at the mention of Sanji's name, humming thoughtfully for a moment before audibly smiling into the receiver, “I meant every word darling. What do you have in mind?”

Sanji floundered for a moment as he pondered if he was really prepared to fully go through with this. Just hearing this man's voice was enough to give him chills and send his stomach roiling unpleasantly. Beginning to pace once more, he found it only barely eased the rising agitation jittering through his body, but it did help him managed to stifle his stutter long enough to continue talking.

“I owe the mafia five hundred thousand dollars by Friday night.” Sanji summed up tightly, hand tightening its grip on his phone impossibly. The answer to his next question would firmly decide his fate for the rest of his life, “Still think I'm worth it?”

“Dear boy,” Doflamingo crooned, sounding surprised but not entirely shocked by what he heard, “What ever did you do to wind up in that kind of mess?”

“It's not important.” Sanji scowled, swivelling on his heel and coming to a stop with a scowl, “Yes or no?”

It was an incredibly long shot that this would work. All of it teetering on the decision of the other man and if he thought Sanji's ass was worth half a million. Sanji wouldn't even be slightly surprised if it didn't work; he certainly didn't value his life at that much. 

The silence on the other end went on for a lot longer than Sanji had been expecting, and he began to grow agitated. Doflamingo hadn't said yes, but hadn't said no either which meant he was actually seriously considering the proposal; something Sanji hadn't even really expected to happen.

“If-” Doflamingo began slowly, Sanji nearly dropping his phone due to his quivering grip, “If I do help you; you become mine exclusively?”

A terrifying shiver that ran down his spine at those words. Sanji had known the man would make a request like this, but he still hadn't been fully prepared for it. Nor did it stop his stomach from clenching unpleasantly at the thought of all the unsavoury things the man would want to do; the unethical way he'd be treated.

Closing his eyes Sanji focused on the resolution he had found within himself that morning when looking at the faces of the victims. Desperately thinking of Zoro and how this was nothing if not a small price to pay to keep the man safe, and if he should have the opportunity to lay down his life for anyone then it should be nothing less than a honour.

“Whatever you want.” Sanji assured quietly, fighting back the bile that rose in his throat at the thought, and the guilt that was already starting to gnaw at his insides for betraying Zoro. He felt disgustingly selfish for doing this behind the other man's back, but if it ended in Zoro hating him then it would be worth it as long as the man was safe.

“Even if I want you as my pet?” Dolfamingo goaded, “Here in my home twenty-four seven?”

“If that is what you want.” Sanji choked out, voice shrinking at the full gravity of what he was agreeing to. This wouldn't be like it was with Zoro – there would be no mutual understanding – his freedom would belong to the other man. His life as he knew it would be over...

“No.” Doflamingo bit out sharply, “Is that what you want?”

Sanji frowned at the question. Of course it wasn't what he wanted, it was obviously exactly what he didn't want and Doflamingo was well aware of that from their previous encounters... And then the horrifying truth dawned on Sanji as he realized exactly what the Dom was expecting of Sanji.

Swallowing thickly, and stamping down the last dregs of his fear and repulsion he muttered, “I would like that very much, sir.”

The groan of satisfaction that crackled over the phone line and echoed into Sanji's ear was sure to give him nightmares for the rest of his life. Fighting back his self-loathing he focused on Zoro, and the relief he felt knowing the other man was going to be safe.

“Very well.” Doflamingo simpered, “You have yourself a deal, my new slave.”

Sanji choked down a sob, and simply nodded for fear of letting something slip that he didn't need the other man hearing. Doflamingo seemed to know Sanji was reeling in defeat, but was not the least bit bothered by it as he continued speaking as though he hadn't just bought Sanji. The jeering excitement in his voice had Sanji gritting his teeth furiously to keep from saying something he might regret.

“I'll pick you up Friday.” The Dom stated matter-of-factly thanks to Sanji's previously given information, before adding, “Text me the time and place.”

“Ok.” Sanji managed hollowly, his broken voice not sounding like his own as his mind was already supplying horrible situations and possibilities of his future with the other Dom. Fighting down his fear repeatedly with the mantra that Zoro was safe. Zoro was safe.

“Till then, darling.”

The line went dead and Sanji stood for a long time holding the phone to his ear and listening to nothing before slowly lowering it and staring dazedly down at it with a shocked realization of what had just happened. Despite whatever hell Sanji had to endure; Zoro was not going to end up in some alley with a bullet in his head.

The man might hate him for this but at least he'd be alright...

Almost on cue, Sanji had barely lowered the phone when a text lit up his screen from Zoro, his stomach dropping through the floor as he read the words that he knew spelled his doom. 

We need to talk.

It wasn't like Sanji hadn't seen it coming. From the way he had been acting all week he had known Zoro had been on to him and suspected that he had been lying, but he hadn't expected Zoro to bring it up so quickly before Sanji even had a chance. He was still just so shocked that it was all going to end so soon.

Sanji responded simply, he honestly couldn't think of what else to add.

Ok.

Zoro's response lit up his screen a few seconds later and he knew for sure that Zoro was going to want to know everything. From the succint texts and the precise punctuation, to the lack of any emoticons, it was clear that the man on the other line was not in a lighthearted mood. And the tension that had been clinging to the man that morning had festered moreso.

I'll be by after work.

Sanji typed back numbly, and after than the messages stopped coming.

Sure.

Pocketing his phone – as he was sure he would not be recieving another text from the green-haired man – he made his way into the kitchen and threw up a cupboard. Sanji reached in, pulled down the nearest bottle, and set about preparing himself for what was to come.

~X~

When Zoro knocked on the door several hours later Sanji could tell from the rap alone that the man was tense, possibly bordering on nervously enraged. Bottle half empty on the table, Sanji rose with a slight sway before shaking off the vestiges of his inebriation and making for the door. Despite his best efforts to drown himself in liquor to hopefully have some courage to face Zoro when he arrived, it did not have the desired effect. His emotions and anxiety weighed too heavily until all that was gained from the bottle was a burning sensation in his throat and less pain throbbing from his left hand.

Sidestepping a large mound of soil, he realized that letting Zoro into the apartment might pose a small problem. Though – hand resting on the knob – it might be the easiest way to coax Zoro into the whole situation. Regardless, Sanji was not looking forward to what was going to take place.

Pulling open the door Sanji tried to meet Zoro with a normal stare, but upon seeing the man immediately broke into a grin of relief. Seeing him alive and well was the only thing keeping his resolve together after everything that had happened with Doflamingo, and knowing that the man would remain alive indefinitely had him smiling honestly for the first time all day.

Zoro was dressed as he had been that morning, except the pace of the work day had pulled the iron lines from his pants and shirt, and his stance just a little bit heavier. But for all his tuckered appearance, his face remained honest and earnest. Watching Sanji carefully as he too, seemed aware that a conversation he might not like was going to take place.

“Hey.” Sanji breathed, and he could tell by the twitch of Zoro's brows that he smelled the liquor on his breath. He seemed to choose against making a note of it and instead just nodded simply. The tension was thick between them and Sanji could only imagine all the things Zoro was probably worrying that Sanji had been lying about; he probably thought Sanji wanted to break up, or that he was cheating on Zoro.

Sanji wanted to laugh; if only the reason was that simple.

“Can I come in?” Zoro asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at Sanji's behaviour, as well as the fact that he had now been standing out in the hallway for a solid couple minutes.

Sanji cast a look behind him at the chaotic mess that used to be his living room, knowing he no longer had anything to hide, but also not really needing the man to see just how destroyed Sanji's life currently was. Glancing back at Zoro through the partially open door, he leaned against the jam in hopes of blocking the man's view as he muttered, “Probably not a good idea.”

“Is someone in there?” Zoro asked carefully, he obviously was trying to keep from implying something heinous, but it was the least Sanji expected for his shifty behaviour.

“No.” Sanji shook his head calmly, not even minutely offended by the accusation, “No, no one's here.”

“Then let me in.” Zoro muttered succinctly, clearly not up for playing games with Sanji right now. His brow was furrowed heavily and he had an air of worry that was clearly trying to be masked with annoyance.

“Fine.” Sanji heaved with a sigh, swinging the door open fully as he continued to lean against the frame. Watching balefully as Zoro crossed the threshold and took a few steps inside, before taking a step back in shock at the state of the living area. Closing the door with a flick of his wrist Sanji sidestepped the man and stood prominently in the mess he had created; with a combination of alcohol and resigned aloofness he now found himself proud over the destruction he had caused.

“Sanji.” Zoro started in shock, “What the hell happened here?”

“Me.” Sanji supplied simply.

“Why?!”

Sanji shrugged.

“I'm not stupid, Sanji.” Zoro muttered quietly.

Sanji turned to look at the man, as he stood a miserable, beaten wreck in the middle of his destroyed apartment, and Zoro in his clean cut work clothes and the pristine doorway behind him making him seem untouchably pure. They were a paradoxical pair standing off against each other as each waited for the other to speak.

“I know you've been lying to me.” Zoro explained tersely, finally breaking the silence and levelling Sanji with a tense, expectful look as he awaited the blond's response. Zoro always spoke volumes without saying much, and Sanji could hear in the man's tone that he knew everything that had been going on this past week had consisted of Sanji feeding him lie upon lie.

Doflamingo stalking him, getting jumped and winding up in the hospital, and all his shady behaviour; Zoro had obviously noticed all of it and was not buying any of Sanji's bluffs. However, that didn't stop Sanji from panicking under that sharp, knowing gaze and fighting for obliviousness.

“It's nothing.” Sanji muttered desperately as he tried to stride from the room, tears already threatening to surface as the reality of what was happening set in. He knew what was about to transpire but he wasn't ready for the conversation that was going to take place; he wished he never had to face it.

“SANJI!” Sanji froze at that. He had never really heard Zoro raise his voice like that before, it was terrifying and also heart wrenching because Sanji could hear the panic underneath it, “What the fuck is going on?”

Sanji remained with his back to the man – panic sluicing down his veins like glacial water; burning his insides and freezing him to the spot – unsure of what to say. He knew the moment he had sold himself to the other Dom that he was going to have to tell Zoro everything, but it still didn't stop him from dreading it with every fibre of his being. Despite how horrible his situation was, he knew that telling Zoro the truth would destroy him far more than it was going to Sanji.

And he really didn't know if he had the strength to do that to Zoro.

“Sanji.” Zoro pleaded again, quieter. “Look at me.”

Swallowing hurt – the saliva feeling like a brick of lead sliding down his throat – his airways shutting down as the panic was starting to make him break out in a cold sweat. Mind whirring with anything he could possibly say, he knew he had to tell Zoro the truth but the words were completely lost to him.

“Please.”

Sanji could practically feel his heart shatter. 

Zoro had never sounded like that; in all the time they'd spent together Sanji had never heard the man's voice so withdrawn and worried before. The man brimming with confident arrogance now sounded like a timid child. Turning seemed like an even larger challenge now, not wanting to see that same fear and betrayal on the man's face.

Closing his eyes, he put everything else aside and focused on the fact that he loved Zoro; and the man deserved the truth. As he slowly turned to face him, it felt like the hardest thing he had ever had to do, and upon seeing the look on his lovers face nearly crumbled there and then.

“I'm so sorry.” Sanji whispered, the words hardly discernible, as they barely even formed on his lips.

Sanji could see the look of dawning understanding on the other man's face and how he seemed to fully comprehend the actual seriousness of the situation. It went beyond petty lies and mundane deception and actually posed a problem that was causing Sanji to panic in ways that the other man had not seen before.

“Sanji...” Zoro managed fearfully, “What did you do?”

A dreadful silence stretched out between the two men. Zoro patiently watching Sanji in anticipation of an answer, his agitation growing with each passing second, as Sanji stood dumbly facing the man at a loss for words. For all his usual quick wit, words did not come easily to him now and he found himself floundering pathetically.

“I...” Sanji finally managed, the single word weighing far more heavily upon him than he thought at all possible, and yet as he began to speak he found the truth slowly spilling from his lips. “I...”

Zoro watched Sanji steadily – and while there was clearly unease in his stare – there was no judgment. Only concern as Sanji realized that all of Zoro's current emotions all stemmed from the same place. He cared.

“I owe five hundred thousand dollars to the mob...” Sanji admitted shamefully, unable to meet Zoro's gaze as he said it for fear of seeing disappointment in the man's eyes. It took a long moment of reprieve before managing to raise his eyes and speak again, “They're the one's that jumped me Sunday night.”

Zoro stared at Sanji flatly for a long time – much longer than Sanji found comfortable – before Zoro eventually spoke, voice tight, “That's not funny.”

“I'm not trying to be funny.” Sanji mumbled hollowly, his own fear slipping through.

“Then how the fuck could that possibly be happening?!” Zoro barked in disbelief, raising an arm swiftly upwards with his outburst as the incredulity of the situation was clearly causing him to panic. Sanji had been prepared for Zoro to be furious upon finding out, but he still had no idyllic response in mind. “Well?!”

Sanji floundered.

“Okay, one thing at a time.” Zoro began stiffly, arms coming over his chest in a tense cross, “How the fuck did you get so involved with the mob?”

Sanji opened his mouth, begging an explanation to come out, but nothing did. As he stared at Zoro everything within him was slowly breaking; seeing the tense lines in the man's shoulders and the worry creasing his brow was breaking Sanji's resolve. How on earth was he supposed to explain this giant lie that he had carried for so long to the other man?

“Well?” Zoro implored, a sadness trickling into his tone that forced Sanji to look away.

Placing a hand over his eyes he groaned pitifully, not even sure where to begin. How was he supposed to summarize this whole crazy situation in a way that wouldn't make him sound like either a psychopath, or a complete idiot. The way he had acted, and how he had ended up here was all his fault. However, considering he had already sold his freedom that afternoon to fix everything, it didn't really matter anymore. No matter what Zoro thought about Sanji, he was going to lose the other man anyway.

And that was a whole other painful train of thought that he had been fighting to drown with liquor all afternoon, and yet he still wasn't ready to let him go. It hurt with a resonating ache deep in his bones and he had to fight back a sob and focus on the explanation Zoro was demanding of him.

“Remember how I said I did entrepreneurial work on the side...” Sanji began quietly, pressing his thumb and index finger against his closed eyes. Partially to fight back the tears that had been threatening to come all day and also to prepare for the explosive argument that was about to take place.

“That's your entrepreneurial business.” Zoro exploded in horror, and Sanji could hear the anger trickling into his disbelief as he lowered his hand to see the same emotions portrayed on the man's face. Crossed arms unfolding astonishment as he took a near stumbling step towards Sanji with his jaw agape, “You work for the mob?!”

“No!” Sanji denied hastily as he waved his hands aghast, reciprocating the other man's step as he desperately fought for the right words. Wishing he could just make Zoro understand everything without having to say anything, “I-I just... I blackmail people.”

Zoro just stared in disbelief.

“A-and this guy,” Sanji fought to continue as Zoro remained silent in his shock, “he hired the mob to get the money back plus something extra.”

Zoro remained frozen in his stance of incredulity, as though still trying to process everything he had heard from Sanji so far, before straightening slightly and levelling Sanji with a sour look, “Half a million is a lot more than 'something extra'.”

“I'm aware.” Sanji scowled. For all the seriousness in Zoro's tone, Sanji was not appreciating the sarcasm giving how delicate the situation currently was. However, Sanji knew he probably deserved it.

“Well...” Zoro grasped hoarsely, genuinely looking remorseful, “What do you want me to do?” 

Nothing. Sanji wanted to exclaim earnestly that he needed nothing from the other man but his forgiveness and understanding over what Sanji had done to protect him. But the words got caught in his throat as Zoro continued to ramble in grasping confusion.

“That kind of money... I can't...” Zoro floundered dazedly, “I'm still in debt from school! And the loan I took out when I opened my practice. I...”

“I'm not asking you to do anything.” Sanji shook his head quickly, the words nearly getting stuck in his throat once more as he choked them out on a whisper, “I have a plan.”

“What?” Zoro closed his eyes as he practically stuttered out the word. Clearly amazed by the very notion that Sanji had somehow managed to have a plan to deal with this seemingly impossible situation. The disbelief in his raised eyebrows speaking volumes of his shock.

“You're not gonna like it.” Sanji mumbled quietly as he stared at the other man in remorse. He had a plan, but it also meant he and Zoro would no longer be together, and he still wasn't entirely certain how to break that fact to the man.

“Considering everything you've just told me,” Zoro sighed heavily, “I doubt you could surprise me at this point.”

“Well that's the other thing I haven't told you...” Sanji mumbled, voice trailing off in his own nerousness, “Remember the Dom from the club?”

“What the fuck do you mean the 'Dom from the club'?” Zoro growled, his voice instantly dropping an octave and his face gaining a pinched expression. Sanji could already tell that the man did not have fond memories of the other Dom and he was not going to like what Sanji had to say at all.

“Well,” Sanji stammered, suddenly extremely nervous of what Zoro's reaction would be, his feet shuffling in the debris covering his floor, “he tracked me down and came to my work a few days ago, tried to bribe me into leaving you.”

A look of pure possessiveness and unbridled anger flashed across Zoro's face, reflecting a side of the man Sanji had never really seen before, until a look of realization dawned and he demanded, “That's why you were so out of it?!”

Sanji nodded shamefully.

Zoro began pacing, his hands clenching and unclenching in front of himself as though he were imagining strangling the man at this very moment. Shoulders hunched like the hackles of a wolf as he seethed with all the rage of a caged animal, and Sanji was having trouble discerning whether or not the anger was directed at Sanji for lying or the Dom for trying to undermine Zoro.

“That fucker,” Zoro seethed, “He has no right.”

Sanji said nothing as Zoro continued to fume, desperate to find a place to channel his anger but finding nothing. Eventually he came to an abrupt stop and rounded on Sanji, a myriad of emotions lancing across his face before settling on betrayal as he accused.

“You should've told me!”

“And then what?!” Sanji balked, raising his hands helplessly as he glanced around his apartment before locking eyes with with Zoro's. The amber shimmering with quaking emotion, “Let you go get yourself arrested by assaulting somebody?! I handled it; I told him to fuck off and leave me alone.”

“Then what does he have to do with--”

Zoro's inquiry was cut short with horrified abruptness as the pieces of everything Sanji had been saying began to fall into place and form a larger picture. Sanji could see the moment of realization wrench at the other man, his face falling in dawning terror.

“No...” Zoro murmured quietly as disbelief and anger tinged his voice before full agony broke through, “No...”

“They are going to kill you if I don't give them the money!” Sanji pleaded desperately, trying to get Zoro to understand even an iota of why he had done what he did. Knowing everything he was spilling at this point was just his pathetic attempt to keep Zoro from fully hating him after this was all over, “I had no other choice!

“YOU CHOSE NOT TO TELL ME!” Zoro spat back coldly, but despite his tone Sanji could already see the defeat starting to envelope the man. Anger fading to be replaced by hollow hopelessness in the wake of everything Sanji was telling him. Deflating under the weight of the burden Sanji had been carrying for so long and was finally revealing to the man.

“What would you have done?” Sanji countered morosely, hating what he could visibly see he was doing to the other man, “I certainly can't get that money in time; no bank, or loan shark would possibly give me that kind of money. How would you get the money either?”

“We could've figured it out together!” Zoro yelled hoarsely, obviously trying desperately to hold onto his anger and the crack in his voice shedding light to that failure, “Instead you go behind my back and cavort with another Dom, and you don't even trust me enough to tell me when you're in trouble... I thought we trusted each other! I trusted you!”

Sanji let his head drop in shame, looking at his feet as the truth of what Zoro said rattled inside of him with maddening accuracy. The man was entirely right, everything Sanji had done these past few days had insulted the trust Zoro had placed with him. Sanji deserved everything Zoro was saying, the shameful guilt searing his guts the penance for his lies.

“How are we supposed to be in a relationship if you keep things like this from me?” Zoro urged hollowly, “How am I supposed to be able to help you?!”

“You're right...” Sanji murmured quietly, “We can't stay like this.”

And suddenly the room stood still; an icy chill falling between the two men following those words.

“What are you saying?” Zoro growled shortly, trepidation dripping from his tone, his scowl belying his shock. Regardless of his anger, he clearly had not been expecting Sanji to say something as drastic as he did. 

“You don't deserve any of this.” Sanji stated numbly, trying to convey his regret through his gaze as he mumbled, “This is over.”

This time Zoro was the one who floundered. Hurt radiating from his eyes and as his jaw remained open in shock clearly grasping for words for a response to what Sanji was suggesting. But as the seconds passed the hurt morphed to betrayal as the anger once more resurfaced.

“Do what you want.” Zoro muttered tersely, keeping his gaze from Sanji's as he turned and made for the door. Zoro's hand paused on the knob as Sanji stared at the man he loved; memorizing the lines of his back, the breadth of his shoulders, the wisps of his hair and the length of his body. Noting the pain that consumed his entire being as he kept his back resolutely to Sanji as the blond bid farewell to the one pure thing that he had had in his life before Zoro tore open the door and walked away muttering bitterly, “You'd do it anyway.”

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are just gonna get worse from here :) Hang on to your hats.


	19. The Bones with the Blues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I've been struggling with this chapter for a while, some part of it just kept bothering me but I couldn't put my finger on it. But if I let my own insecurities keep me from posting I am never going to finish this fic lol And I honestly just want all of you to finally see the ending :) So I'm just gonna trust myself and post these last few chapters with confidence; and when it's complete I'll come back and touch everything up while being stress free. Chapter is unbeta'd, but will all be edited once finished. Thank you, all of you!

A light pattering of spring rain drizzled over the late evening, droplets staining the sign above the bar a shade darker than normal as the usual vibrant blue of the whale became a deep cerulean. The scarlet letters spelling out 'Rumbar' hued to a much heavier crimson as rivulets ran down the windows illuminated by the light from the patrons inside. Despite the cold exterior, a warmth radiated from the small pub as joyous laughter and raucous music could be heard from within. 

A man made purposefully for the entry, pausing under the small overhang of the doorway to close his umbrella before ducking inside and shaking himself off. Many of the after work crowd had already filled up the place; mugs of frothy beer being tilted back against weary lips and pleasant conversation adding a constant hum over the room. Some partaking in a bit of chat, as others faced the stage and took in the live music while downing a drink.

The band on stage jovially playing a bluesy tune as they remained lost in their own world; a man plucked playfully at the thick chords of his double bass as another tinkled the keys on the large grand piano that decorated the stage. A woman with sultry brown hair leaned into the microphone and crooned a melodious tune while a man on a drum and snare balanced the whole ensemble behind her.

Madaisuki shucked off his soaked jacket as he made his way over to the bar where his brother was currently cleaning some glasses. A rag draped over his shoulder as another was in a mug that he finished drying before sliding onto a shelf under the bar, snatching up another as he watched the band lazily.

The song slowly coming to an end as the woman gave small bow to the cheering bar before leaning away from the microphone to discuss the next song with the band. Madaisuki took the moment of reprieve to ask while tucking his jacket under the bar, “How was opening?”

“Swell.” Mawaritosuki grinned happily, “Yorki came by to drop off the float, and check stock; left about an hour ago.”

Madaisuki nodded as he turned to take an order from a customer, pulling out a chilled mug before leaning it under the tap and flipping the tab. Amber ale sloshing into the cup in a delicious swirl, bubbles rising to the top to form a proud head which he swiftly swiped off before handing the topped up glass to the man. Taking the offered bill and nodding in gratitude as the customer ordered him to keep the change.

Turning a glance to the stage as the band struck up another song, he noted the odd new prop that was seated near the piano before turning to his brother. Gesturing with a flick of his head in the direction of the skeleton that had been set up near the stage. “What's with the skeleton?” 

“Not sure.” Mawaritosuki shrugged, as he began mixing a cocktail, “Probably some gimmick that Brook put in for the people.”

The skeleton sat with it's figure slumped in a chair next to the piano and a rustic violin placed precariously in its arms. Head lolling to the side, the jaw bone rested on the violin as a bow lay across the strings and the frog was held loosely in a bony grasp. Bones an eerie white in their realism as the suit it was dressed in was one of the boss' – made of impeccable fabric – and the scarf tied at the neck a vibrant blue. 

“A bit spooky for summer.” Madaisuki finally noted.

“I dunno, I kinda like it.” Mawaritosuki grinned, “The afro is a nice touch.”

“Looks a lot like the boss.” Madaisuki agreed with a chuckle as he turned to serve another customer, neither of the brothers noticing the slight aroma of chemicals wafting off the bones. Nor the thin line of skin visible through the thick hair that smelled heavily of blood.

~X~

A minute movement had Sanji jerking awake sporadically from his slouched position on the couch, grip retracting around the bottle of whisky that had nearly slipped from his unconscious hand and onto the floor. Glancing around blearily it seemed that the alcohol he had been attempting to drown himself in since Zoro had stormed out was still having an effect on him as his vision remained slightly hazy.

Rubbing a hand against a swollen, sleep-riddled eye he glanced up at the television that was still playing across the room, a late night interview taking place. Snatching up the remote he nearly flipped it off before catching the words spoken by the man on screen and pausing in interest.

“--in fact, The Crucifier is a rather intriguing example of this type of psychopathic behaviour.” The dark haired man supplied from his seat on camera, keeping his gaze intently locked on the news-anchor, “This is someone of a calm, sadistic nature; the calculative amount of planning and forethought to their motions is a testament to that.”

“Well,” the news-anchor responded politely, “the FBI has officially taken the case into federal jurisdiction. Can you give us any insight into what they might be looking for while trying to profile the killer, Dr. Trafalgar?”

A bubble popped on the bottom of the screen underneath a shot of the man's face introducing him, his occupation, and his achievements for the viewers; with not one, but several PhD's in varying fields. It seemed that this man was indeed one of the leading experts on this subject.

Dr. Law Trafalgar  
Clinical Psychologist and Psychiatrist

“Statistically, this person most likely has high social status, is gainfully employed and is considered a rather charming individual.” Law stated succinctly, “A large majority of serial killers are not reclusive, nor social misfits. Which unfortunately, allows them to blend so effortlessly, this will make them easy to overlook by both law enforcement and the public.”

“So you're saying this person is quite normal,” The woman summed up gently, clearly trying to dumb it down for the people watching the interview, “It could be a friend, or a neighbour?”

“Absolutely.” Law nodded in agreement, as the news-anchor nodded minutely. Done with that particular line of questioning though obviously not liking the morbidness of the idea behind it. The notion that the murderer could be someone you knew was a heady thought that not many people wanted to think about.

“Now this is a somewhat sensitive subject for some,” The news-anchor started timidly, glancing down at her notes uncomfortably before back up at Law, “But we have seen many famous serial killers in the past with sexual tendencies in their murders; do you think this is much the same?”

“No. Many behavioural experts that have looked over this case have determined that the killings are not sexually motivated, but rather that the culprit is doing this out of a need for attention, and possibly thrill.” Law explained airily, “Killings of this nature are not for disposal of a body – which is common in sexual cases since the killer feels shameful – but the presentation of them is specific to the person wanting to be noticed.”

The woman nodded in understanding, brow furrowed in interest as it was clear she was trying to mask a larger swell of relief at the words. It had been something many people had been fearing but not had the gall to bring up lest the answer be something heinous.

“So there's a difference?” She alluded gently, “Between the types of murders that serial killers commit?”

“Yes, but it entirely depends on if they have an anti-social disorder,” Law responded easily, “Not all serial killers are psychotic or sociopathic, just like not all sociopaths and psychopaths are serial killers. Many people confuse the types of serial killers that are eventually discovered; the terms sociopath and psychopath are treated as interchangeable when they really aren't.

“However you can generally catalogue their murders as either crimes of passion, or premeditated. Sociopaths have a tendency to kill impulsively and are generally easy to catch since they do not plan ahead; they have a more noticeable anti-social behaviour. Psychopaths are the opposite; they can be fastidious and only commit murder when they have a plan.

“And as we can see from the current victims; this person kills cautiously.” Waving an aloof hand Law summarized simply, “This again is a key element of a psychopath; there's no impulsiveness to their actions.”

“Thank you, Dr. Trafalgar for that insight.” The news-anchor mused seriously, once more glancing at her notes before back at the man, “You mentioned earlier that the profiling done by the FBI team will narrow down the search, but it still leaves an enormous amount of suspects considering the availability of evidence; how do you believe the culprit will be caught?”

“Most times a psychopath of this nature is eventually caught – not because they want to be – but because they believe they can't be.” Law corrected, “Eventually they will get lazy, or make a mistake as they continue to go unchallenged; and that is when they'll be discovered.”

“So this horrible situation is a waiting game?”

“Unfortunately so.” Law conceded tightly, “That doesn't mean there's no hope. Some of the best psychoanalysts in the country – as well as detectives – are on this case. I doubt it will be one that is forgotten easily.”

“Very true, Dr. Trafalgar.” The woman nodded solemnly, “Thank you again for coming in today and--”

Sanji flicked off the television as the interview was clearly wrapping up, tossing the remote aside on the couch as he pushed himself up drunkenly. Taking a final large, gulp of the whisky he had kept in his hand before tossing the now empty bottle along side the others on the floor of his living room as he stumbled to his bedroom.

While his interest over the serial killer was just as prominent as everyone else in the city, it was hard to find the same concern over it that he had before. Since he had recently been forced to put things into perspective, it made it rather difficult to worry about something that seemed totally out of his range of control. In the grand scheme of things the Crucifier was just one man bound to be caught, and Sanji was just a hopeless idiot that no longer had anything left in his life to live for.

A deep well of sorrow still ached in his heart for the victims – the courage that they had managed to give him was something that he would never be able to thank them for – but with his acceptance at having lost everything it made him numb to everything else. Would it really be so terrible... if he ended up like one of them...?

~X~ 

Sanji jerked awake Friday morning to his phone going off with a loud, piercing vibration as it rattled across his nightstand, light popping into life as his alarm flashed across the screen. The noise penetrating through Sanji's hangover with painful persistence as the last two days of drinking were finally catching up to him; it seemed there was only so long he could stay in a drunken stupor.

Cracking open an eye, Sanji winced as the light leaking in through his curtains stabbed him viciously, and with a groan slowly rolled over and snatched up his still buzzing phone. Turning off the alarm and tossing his phone back on his nightstand with disdain, he threw an arm over his eyes to try and protect them from the headache that had been growing ever since he had opened them. 

Despite knowing it had been the right thing to do, it hadn't made it hurt any less to send Zoro away. The resulting pain over giving him up had lead the blond to try and console himself the only way possible; hard liquor and cigarettes. However, no amount of alcohol, nor smoke had been able to fill the hole left by Zoro.

Sanji remained in bed until the pounding in his head had subsided slightly and then finally heaved himself up with a grunt, pushing his matted hair from his face and running a hand over his eyes with a groan. He should have felt elated over having fixed everything and saved Zoro; but all he could focus on was the hurt look on Zoro's face and the cold words he had uttered before storming out of Sanji's apartment.

Hurting Zoro had been the most painful thing Sanji had ever had to do...

Pulling himself out of his spiral of self-loathing that he had repeatedly been sucked into the past two days; Sanji forced himself to his feet and over to the bathroom to get into the shower. Needing to wash off some of the filth that had been accumulating on him the past few days during his sulking.

Standing under the hot spray, he kept his splinted hand away from the water as he worked a large handful of shampoo into his previously dirty locks with the other. Fingers massaging the suds into his hair and hopefully removing the grease and scent of alcohol that had begun to linger. Dipping his head forward to wash it out, he watched the swirling trails of bubbles cascade down his bruised body, before whirling at his feet and slipping into the drain. 

The hypnotic pattern and soothing stream allowing his sober mind to wander for the first time in days as he thought of Zoro, and all that had happened. A twinge growing in his chest as he remembered the haunting look of betrayal that had pierced Zoro's face; the last emotion he would ever see on the face of the man he loved.

Leaning his injured hand against the tiles of the shower he felt a painful ache begin behind his eyes that he had been struggling to keep at bay for the past several days. It worsened until the bridge of his nose felt like it would split in half as the lack of alcohol made it impossible to restrain. A stinging sensation lanced the corners of his eyes and for the first time since everything had went wrong, he cried.

It was like a dam had burst as his knees began to buckle and he leaned against the cold, tiled wall while tears cascaded down his face; completely lost under the spray of the shower. A sob wracked his defeated frame as his other hand shot out to support himself on the adjacent wall, head once more under the stream as he finally let out all the pain and emotions that had been building within him.

Biting it down for as long as he could manage; an agonized wail finally ripped from his throat as he fell to his knees in the stall and cradled his head in his hands as he wept. Anger had been his crutch for so long – keeping his sorrow at bay – but as the time drew nearer and the stark reality of his failures were laid bare he was no longer able to keep it inside.

Holding himself through wretched cries, he rocked himself under the hot spray of the shower long after the water began to run cold, and even longer still after he was unable to cry anymore tears. Minutes that stretched like torturous hours were washed down the drain as Sanji's sorrow refused to abate.

Sanji wanted nothing more than to go back before he felt this way, before his entire happiness had become attached to the presence of another. Three months previous when he hadn't been consumed by taunting emotions and he could've faced his punishment with nothing more than muted disdain. Yet, despite his selfish thoughts he knew that he was merely attempting to desperately bargain with himself to take some of the pain away. 

As the pitiful jerks of his remaining sobs began to fade, and the shed tears had left his eyes feeling raw he knew that he would never truly trade anything for the time had gotten with Zoro. Even if he was given the chance he would go back do it all over again just to see that charming smile on the man's face one last time.

Taking in a long, steady inhale to ground himself, he finally managed to raise a hand and turn off the shower. Slowly pushing himself to his feet and stepping out, grabbing a towel and methodically drying off as he slowly dragged himself from the pit of numbness his weeping had sent him.

Running the towel through his hair before lowering it slowly, he gazed at his reflection in the mirror; eyes red and swollen from his tears, and the cuts and bruises from the beating he had taken from Teach's thugs was still very present. Despite his best efforts to preserver, he looked like a defeated man; empty and hollow.

Sanji had fought against his tears for so long, desperately trying to tamp down the suffering he had been undergoing, but had finally caved. It hadn't fixed anything, but it had finally allowed him to release some of the burden he had been carrying for so long. And in the end it had been cathartic.

Tossing the towel over the door, he made his way back to his room, rubbing at his eyes to try and rid himself of the tenderness that lingered. Sighing heavily as he faced his closet with trepidation, not wanting to have to get dressed and leave his apartment in the slightest, but knowing he had to.

Shifting through his closet to find something clean, he realized that he hadn't done laundry since things had gotten out of control and he was very short on things to wear. Tossing a dirty shirt over his shoulder, he snagged another ratty article of clothing and was about to throw it aside too when he froze.

It was Zoro's hoodie.

The dark maroon unmistakable as the softness had tortuous happy memories tugging at Sanji's mind. Fighting them away as he held the soft fabric in his hands with reverence, knowing it was no longer his to hold, but unable to stop himself at the feelings of joy it brought him. Without even thinking about it he curled into the fabric and inhaled, long and deep as he tried his best to smother himself in the musk of the other man. It had hardly been a day and he already missed it dearly, that enveloping aroma that made him feel both safe and secure.

Slowly pulling away Sanji stared down that the bundled fabric in his hands with regret, knowing he would need to return it to the man along with everything else he had left here. Items were easy enough to give back, but how was Sanji supposed to remove the lingering memories that hung in the room like a heavy fog.

Though if he would be moving in with Doflamingo it wasn't really going to be an issue...

Setting the sweater aside carefully, Sanji nabbed a pair of black jeans from the floor that appeared in semi-clean condition, pulled them on and made for the kitchen before pausing. Noting the black tie thrown over the foot board of his bed – conflicted – before finally giving in and snatching it up in tight grip.

As he made his way through the living room, he began carefully pulling it on, passing the several finished bottles of liquor he had left on the table from the other day, and the pile of cigarette butts that had joined the catastrophic mess on floor. Sanji knew it was ridiculous to revere a piece of fabric so much – especially one that no longer meant anything between him and Zoro – but he couldn't let go of what it represented so easily. And it felt like a part of Zoro was still there with him.

Stooping down to grab his discarded blue hoodie off the floor near the doorway, he pulled it on to hide the tie from view as he entered the kitchen. He began quietly making a pot of coffee to help ease the pounding hangover when his phone went off, pulling it from his pocket and immediately scowling at the sender.

Where and when?

Dolfamingo inquired simply.

Sanji shot back a quick text with his address and the time the man should be there; given the unpredictability of traffic he told the man to arrive almost an hour early. It seemed excessive but he would rather arrive at the meet point on time, than later and possibly provoke Teach and his men.

It wasn't long before Sanji's phone buzzed once more with a response.

See you then.

Pocketing the phone in annoyance he set about topping off his coffee with a little cream as he was fully intent on shaking the vestiges of his hangover so he could at least show up to the drop point looking confident. The last thing he wanted was to let any of the men he'd see today know how truly far he had fallen.

Cup of coffee in hand he meandered into his living room, flopping down on the sofa and kicking his feet up onto the coffee table. Knocking over a few bottles in the process as he flicked on the television and began surfing through the channels as he lazily sipped at his drink. Eventually finding something mind numbing that he settled on as he watched the time tick by on the clock out of the corner of his eye; counting down to his doom.

Several hours later Sanji's attention was drawn away from the television as his phone buzzed and he snatched it up to take a look at whom it was from, noting the nickname – Truffula – he had given the other man scribbled over the text. Hating himself for getting his hopes up over the possibility of it being Zoro.

Here.

Sanji grimaced as he typed back,

Be down in a moment.

Pocketing his phone, he pushed himself up and turned off the television. Making for the door as he jingled his keys in his hand nervously. Palms already sweating, stomach churning unpleasantly as he tried to calm his jarred breathing as he exited his apartment to head downstairs and meet the man that was not only going to solve his money problems, but own him indefinitely.

Locking the door behind himself as he made his way downstairs, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his blue hoodie as he tried to reassure himself that everything was going to be fine. The elevator ride down did nothing to ease the unsettled feeling in his guts, and when the doors slid open he wanted to just stand and wait for them to close again.

Through the glass of the lobby doors he could see a black limousine pulled up in front of the building, and doubted it was waiting for anyone other than him. Stamping down his fear, Sanji began making his way across the apartment lobby when the door to the stairwell slammed open with terrifying force, the bang of the metal hitting the wall causing Sanji to jump and turn in shock. 

Sanji did a double take as he saw the visage of a sweaty, out-of-breath Zoro with his hands braced on his knees. From the sweat stains on his shirt and the line glistening on his forehead, along with how breathless and red faced he was it looked like had run halfway across town.

“Sanji!” Zoro managed as Sanji turned around to fully face him, hands slowly pulling from his hoodie pocket as he stared at the other man, “Wait.”

“Z-Zoro?” Sanji stuttered in confusion, unreasonable hope trickling in his voice. It was ridiculous, but simply seeing the man had the fear leaching from him in waves, “What are you doing here?”

“Look, I don't care.” Zoro urged desperately, standing straight as the fatigue seemed to be wearing off and he strode forward urgently, “I'll take out a loan, I'll be in debt the rest of my life; I don't fucking care. Just don't do this.”

Sanji goggled at the other man, words barely penetrating let alone sinking in enough to allow Sanji to prepare a response. Just the fact that Zoro was here was shocking enough, but to hear that he was willing to sacrifice everything to keep him from doing this caused a flutter of happiness within him. However, it was brief. As the reality of their situation washed over him with crushing force and he knew that there was simply no time despite Zoro's nobility.

“It...” Sanji finally managed quietly, casting a furtive glance over his shoulder at the limo waiting outside. No matter how honourable Zoro's intentions, Sanji needed to be downtown with the money in less than two hours; and there was just no way Zoro could do anything about that. Looking back at Zoro, remorse radiating from him as he continued, “It's too late.”

“No.” Zoro scowled and shook his head adamantly, “It's not. I can help.”

“Why would you want to?!” Sanji balked in confusion, throwing his hands up in frustration as he still couldn't fathom why Zoro would be here. “After everything I did why would you possibly want to help me?!”

A jilted silence hung in the air as Sanji found himself stuck in a swirling miasma of anger and gratitude, unable to pull himself away from the vicissitude of emotions that made him both irate at the other man for making his decision harder, and irrefutably relieved to know that man didn't hate him. It was all made insignificant as Zoro watched Sanji with calm eyes and murmured simply,

“I love you.”

The words hit Sanji like a smack to the face; his inner walls crumbling under the weight of what Zoro had just said as all he wanted to do was run to the other man and let him know he felt the same. It was all he had ever wanted to say to the other man, and hadn't even begun to fathom hearing, but here he was standing dazed before the other man in awe over what he meant to him.

Sanji didn't know what he did to deserve this; didn't felt like he had any right to be cared about this way.

But...

But Zoro's feelings didn't change the reality of their situation; and if anything only complicated it. 

Sanji had no clue where he had drawn the strength to keep his composure, but managed to school his features into a calm mask of indifference. Shaking his head in helpless apology as he murmured guiltily, “I don't.”

Pain and frustration twisted Zoro's face into something ugly, and Sanji turned away before the grief became any worse and Sanji wouldn't have the will to walk away. Each step felt like an eternity as he walked to his fate, the doors like the gallows looming before him as each and every precious moment of the last few months with the other man flashed before him. Eyes stinging at each memory that cut through him and left him feeling raw and damaged. Grateful that Zoro couldn't see the pain that the lie was causing him he reached out for the doors but paused as Zoro shouted thickly.

“LIAR!”

Sanji froze, fingers mere millimetres from touching the handle as the words rocked him to his core. He had known it was a bad lie, but he had thought it enough to hurt Zoro and possibly push him away to where he'd be safe. Hearing Zoro deny it all had Sanji's resolve crumbling as all he wanted was to turn around and run into the man's arms.

The decision was taken from him as a hand planted on his shoulder in a vice grip and spun him around, the man's other hand taking a grip on Sanji's upper arm. Zoro's face was a twisted form of despair and anger, eyes shining bright with unshed tears as he began shaking Sanji in small desperate jerks.

“You care!” He pleaded, hands twitching in their hold, “You wouldn't be doing any of this if you didn't.”

Sanji quivered in Zoro's hold – those hands that he revered so heavily latching onto him with a fearful urgency – as it seemed Zoro was in denial about letting Sanji leave. The hold had them so close, far closer than they had been the past few days and Sanji found himself staring into those enchanting amber eyes, wanting to stay like this for as long as possible.

“You know I do.” Sanji finally managed quietly, the words a breath on his barely moving lips as he urged the other man to understand that he had no other choice. His time was literally up.

Zoro looked conflicted, but released Sanji nonetheless as he continued to watch the blond heavily. Eyes flicking outside and no doubt noticing Doflamingo's car that was waiting for Sanji. Turning back to Sanji his gaze was hurt, but resolute.

“Do what you have to.” Zoro grunted finally, a fiery urgency burning in his eyes, “But I swear; I'm going to get you out of this.”

Zoro made to dart around Sanji, but at the last moment Sanji snapped out his uninjured hand to snag Zoro's wrist, jerking the man around and pulling him in for a desperate kiss. It was chaste, yet heavy, as he urgently tried to convey every emotion and need raging within him to the other man. Apologies and guilt silently pressed through lips, sadness and fear trembling through his fingers, gratitude and hope radiating from his very core at Zoro's promise.

It took Zoro aback for only a moment before he was enveloping Sanji and kissing back just as fiercely, his own emotions showing through. Body shuddering minutely as he breathed forgiveness into the the blond, reassurance and loyalty pulsating from the man as Sanji melted into him in relief.

When the kiss ended Sanji felt raw. Somehow having been able to convey the miasma of emotions that had been swirling inside of him with Zoro, and finally having some closure. Sanji hadn't expected anything like this from the other man, but it seemed Zoro was willing to wait for him and do everything he could to get Sanji out of this; no matter what it would take.

It caused a relief within Sanji that he hadn't thought he would ever feel, and he gazed gratefully up at Zoro unsure if he would ever find the words to thank him. Zoro was just as silent, knowing Sanji understood everything that he was promising. Slowly releasing the blond as he continued to watch him possessively.

This time Zoro didn't say a word, only nodded firmly in reassurance before turning and properly striding away from Sanji, pushing open the door to the lobby and striding away purposefully. Sanji watched long until he was out of sight, body numb as he still reeled from what had just happened. It took a shrill honk from the limo to get him to snap back to reality and urge his legs to move.

Managing his way out of the lobby, he made his way over to the sleek car, a door at the back thrown open as he neared to vaguely reveal an impeccably shined shoe and a tuft of pink feathers. Without waiting for another invitation Sanji stepped inside, darting around the Dom awaiting him and took a seat opposite the man.

Doflamingo was watching Sanji with a curious expression before finally asking with a jeer, “You okay, pet?”

“I'm not your pet yet.” Sanji snarled, still far too high strung from what had just happened with Zoro to deal with Dolfamingo's games, “Not until this is all over.”

“Very well.” Doflamingo huffed lazily, making a flicking motion towards the window behind Sanji's head, the signal obviously meant for the driver. The limo pulled out onto the road and Sanji shuffled to the farthest end of the seat to get away from the other blond. Leaning up against the door with his forehead against the window as he wrapped his arms around himself, he closed his eyes and remembered that kiss; hoping it would not be his last with the man.

~X~

The sun was setting as the limo lumbered through the waterfront warehouses and industrial buildings, the slick black automobile completely out of place against the rusted trucks and gravel side roads. Dust kicking up under the white-walled tires to speckle the sides and undercarriage in flecks of dirt. As the car made the final turn to pull into the parking area near Warehouse Seven, several people and a few cars came into view.

Teach stood very prominently at the front of the pack – his hulking figure and large gut an easy tell – with several cronies behind him; a few still sporting injuries courtesy of Sanji. Upon seeing the men a visceral pain lanced through him as he vividly remembered the sensation of his finger getting snapped and fought down a whimper. Instead he clenched as much of his hand as he could aside from the splinted fingers and prepared himself for what was about to happen.

They pulled to a slow halt, engine rumbling for a moment before cutting out, and Sanji fell into a nervous sweat as he looked out the tinted windows at the men. Sanji wasn't entire sure what they were supposed to do now that they were here and – regrettably – cast a glance at the other blond for guidance. Doflamingo wasn't even concerned with Sanji, already pulling out a rather large black suitcase from under his seat and uncrossing his long legs impatiently. The car door was opened by Dolfamingo's chauffeur, and the man stepped out gracefully with case in hand and after an expectant look Sanji darted along after.

First steps out of the low riding limousine were odd and uneven as he tried desperately to shake off his anxiety while falling into step beside the other man. Fishing a cigarette from his pocket nervously, using the small distraction of lighting it to calm himself and stamp down his jittery nerves. After a solid puff, he lowered his hand and levelled Teach with hardened glare, not intending to let the man see he had gotten to Sanji even in the slightest.

As they neared the group of men, Sanji noted for the first time Galdino cowering near the back of the pack, a man standing uncomfortably close to him and a hand gripping his upper arm in a vice grip. Sanji frowned at the oddness of the interaction, wondering just how much the mob were taking advantage of him in this trade...

Despite the terrified look on the man's face, the gloating grin that broke out across his face had Sanji snarling viciously as he practically spat a stream of smoke out of his mouth. The smirk disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared and Sanji immediately took another drag on his cigarette to refrain from loosing his temper at the man responsible for this whole damned mess.

Coming to a stop a few yards from the other men, a yellow-toothed grin split across Teach's face at the sight of the suitcase in the taller blond's hand. Ignoring the snivelling worm of a man Sanji turned his attention to Teach as he blew out a long, slow stream of wispy smoke.

“Not bad, Feisty.” Teach jeered at Sanji before glancing between the two men, “I'm surprised you showed.”

“Like you said,” Sanji shrugged carelessly as he took another drag, hoping the men wouldn't noticed the slight shake in his fingers, “Nothing I can't handle.”

Teach huffed approvingly before glancing back at his men and jerking his chin towards Doflamingo. Without a word one of his men darted forward and snagged the case from Doflamingo's proffered grip, hand pulling away from the thug with a look of slight disdain as lackey ran back to Teach before handing it over.

Once in his hands, Teach hefted it up on the back of the trunk of the car near him where a bill counter was already waiting and snapped his fingers at one of his underlings. A man with a second suitcase ran over and began feeding the bills through as the machine counted them at an inhumanely fast pace, racking up the bill count into the thousands in mere seconds and sorting them into the two cases.

Turning back to face the two blond men, Teach looked at them dully for several moments as the only sound that broke the tense silence was the flicking of bills. Finally breaking the lull Teach jeered playfully as he eyed up Sanji's splinted hand, “How's the hand?”

Forcing a smug grin Sanji snarked, “Better than your men.”

A gut shaking laugh racked the man's body as he plucked the cigar from his mouth to keep from dropping it, wiping a stray tear from the corner of his eye as he calmed. Eventually his laughter died altogether and his gaze properly settled on Doflamingo for the first time since they arrived, beady black eyes narrowing ever-so-slightly before darting back to Sanji.

Jerking his cigar in Doflamingo's direction he grunted, “Another pawn you managed to sucker?”

Sanji glanced at the other blond as subtly as he could from the corner of his eye, noting that the man didn't seem the least bit perturbed by the insulting statement. Turning his wary gaze back to the mobster he stated carefully, “You could say that...”

Teach seemed to notice the tension in the statement, mouth opening to act on it just as the bill counter clicked a final stop and he was turning to note his lackey closing the two suitcases carefully. The man had barely gotten the lids closed before Teach was snatching the cases into his meaty hands and turning back to face them.

“Alright. Everything seems to be in order here.” Teach crooned happily before levelling Sanji with a stern look, “I trust I don't need to tell you that if you try anything against Galdino that we won't be as understanding a second time.”

The filter on his cigarette was crushed between seething teeth as Sanji grinded out slowly, “Gotchya.”

It seemed to be enough for Teach as he nodded simply and turned back to his men with a dismissive jerk of his head. Sanji and Dolfamingo stood simply as half the men began turning away and getting into their respective vehicles – their back up no longer required – as the man from earlier dragged Galdino over to Teach. A nervous yet, giddy laugh bubbling from him as he extended his hands.

“Here's your portion, Galdino.” Teach shoved one of the suitcases into the slighter man's arms, nearly toppling the man as he righted himself and clutched the case close to him greedily. Shiftily looking around the group his eyes fell on Doflamingo and Sanji frowned as he noted the odd exchange of a glance between the two men. Despite Doflamingo's eyes being hidden behind his shades, Galdino looked at him in a familiar way that seemed out of place. 

The moment ended and Doflamingo was turning away with a small scowl and flutter of his ridiculous jacket as he strode back to the car with purposeful strides. Following after the larger man, Sanji waited as he entered the limo casting one final glance back at the skittish man whom was currently being manhandled into one of the thug's vehicles. Not at all the demeanour of someone that seemed to have the courage to seek out these men for help, let alone strike a bargain with them...

As Sanji took a seat in the limo opposite the Dom, a thought suddenly occurred to him that threw everything off – through all his whirling emotions over Zoro, and the nervousness that had wracked his mind over the trade – he had completely forgotten about one very important, yet simple, piece of information; Galdino worked for Smile.

Sanji's eyes widened as the realization became painfully obvious and all the pieces he had been missing were falling into place with a devastating lucidity. Sanji's skin began to grow cold in his horror, hands slowly drawing into his fists on his knees to stave off the clammy sensation on his palms as he raised his eyes to look at the Dom across from him with his eyes still hidden behind those sunglasses.

It had all been this man.

“It was you.” Sanji murmured hollowly as the previous shock was washing away and the storm of anger that was swirling underneath at his dawning realization over Doflamingo's deception grew ever stronger. Rage causing his hands to shake as he clenched them over his knees to try and stifle some of his panic.

“Excuse me?” Doflamingo inquired with an innocent tilt of his head from where he was seated across from Sanji in the back of the limo. Keeping his hands clasped gently over a knee as his sunglasses-covered gaze trained itself on Sanji, the rocking from the moving vehicle causing Sanji's reflection to quiver in the lenses.

“You did this.” Sanji accused lividly, unable to move in his dismay but his body shaking nonetheless in his vexation. The irony of the whole situation cutting far deeper than he would like to admit, “You tricked me.”

“I haven't the slightest idea what you're rambling about--” Doflamingo began in feigned exasperation before Sanji cut him off hysterically.

“Galdino works for you!” Sanji screeched, leaning forward and forcibly catching himself from launching at the man. If what he thought was correct then Doflamingo was responsible for ruining his life, for breaking his hand, for threatening Zoro's life, “You had him blackmail me, you sent Teach after me, you... you...”

Doflamingo raised an interested brow at Sanji's look of dawning clarity.

“You knew I'd have to come to you...”

“Well,” Doflamingo muttered airily – not denying the claims in the slightest – waving a bored hand as Sanji felt the limo pull to a stop and he didn't even have to look outside to know they were back at his apartment, “We could discuss the wherefores and whatnot's, but it doesn't change our agreement.”

“You scammed me!” Sanji seethed, reaching for the door to the limo. From the very beginning Doflamingo had orchestrated the whole thing to slowly tear apart Sanji's life and ruin everything good he had finally gotten. Galdino and Teach had been working for this man from the very beginning and he had been fool enough to fall for the trap and ask him for help, “I don't owe you shit!”

“Ah. Ah. Ah.” Doflamingo wagged a taunting finger as he reprimanded the blond teasingly, “Careful.”

“What?” Sanji lashed back tensely, rounding on the other man with acidic glare.

“We have a deal,” Doflamingo murmured, “We wouldn't want anything bad happening if you went back on your side of the bargain, now would we?”

“What are you saying?” Sanji asked slowly, fear trickling into his words and causing his voice to strain ever-so-slightly. Hand still hovering over the handle to the door as he stared the man down. Surely, the man wasn't implying what he had had Teach threaten him with earlier...

“I'm saying that either you come with me,” Doflamingo pointed sharply at himself before making an aloof motion with his hand, “Or your old Dom is going to wind up as this city's next victim.”

Sanji's jaw dropped, hardly believing the incredulity of what he was hearing from the man. Breaking his gaze away to stare unblinking at the floor in muted horror. His mouth was instantly parched, couldn't even feel his hands, and the only thing resounding in his head was the horrifying truth that this man was going to get Zoro killed if he didn't obey.

“Now, hurry along.” Doflamingo made a shooing motion with his hand, “I have errands to run.”

Stepping out of the limo, Sanji numbly turned around to look down at the man still seated in the car. If it wasn't for his defeated shock, Sanji would've punched the man in the face for sporting such a cheeky, victorious grin. Their situation was still the same, but now that Sanji knew the truth he was much less accepting of the outcome.

And worse yet, Dolfamingo was no doubt privy to all his dark secrets that Galdino had likely spilled in great detail. Even if Sanji wanted to go to the police for having Doflamingo threaten Zoro's life; this man would probably turn him over and have him imprisoned twice as fast. Not to mention all the money he had to back himself; nothing in court would ever stick. Sanji was again back at square one; defeated.

“My limo will come pick you up next Friday at noon,” Dolfamingo simpered, “I expect you to have all your affairs in order.”

And with that the window was rolled up until all Sanji saw was his own blank reflection, rage causing his frame to quake as the car slowly pulled away. A sharp gust of wind rustled Sanji from his spot on the curb, watching the limo disappear helplessly as leaves were swept up in the flurry and piece of newspaper came wafting by to snag on his leg.

Sanji blankly looked down at the piece of paper fluttering desperately to try and free itself and continue to be blown away down the street. Stooping to snag the loose page, he straightened as the looked down at the picture and accompanying article quietly.

The mangled face of the young boy found months ago out in that field stared up at him for a long moment as Sanji stared over the page quietly. Mind whirring, body buzzing, fury bubbling within his chest so painfully he could barely contain his scream of rage threatening to burst out of him. Only becoming satiated as he decided implicitly that there was absolutely nothing left to loose in his life.

Slowly lowering the paper he stared out ahead of himself across the street, fully committed to the dark idea that had been growing in him ever since he had found himself in this situation. A morbidly, horrifying idea that he had shoved deep down inside out of pure fear that he could even do something as horrible as he was considering.

One simple idea that had been circling around in the back of his mind ever since everything had gone south. A sick, twisted little idea that had fermented and brewed in the depths of his darkest thoughts, but as the minutes ticked by and he was no more closer to a ready conclusion to absolve this mess; it was becoming more and more tantalizing.

Sanji had never thought himself capable, but as the rage within in him frothed ever higher at the prospect of his life fully being taken from him he now realized he might just be able to do it. His friends and family were gone, his future career stolen from him, and the one man he had ever loved in his life was now torn from him.

Suddenly, the task was easy.

~X~

Storming into his apartment Sanji immediately rushed to his desk, leaning heavily on the edge as he flipped open his laptop and pressed a key vigorously in his impatience as he waited for it to boot up. Screen finally flicking into life Sanji pulled up several of his program files, starting one up as he pulled open a drawer with unnecessary force causing the contents to rattled around within.

Hands shaking, he shuffled miscellaneous objects aside, hand clasping around the spare USB drive he had been looking for and turned back to his laptop. Once inserted he pulled up the previous program he had opened – the same one he had written for his phone when he use to delete his message activity with people he scammed – and began editing.

Fingers flying across the keys with a practised swiftness as he redid some of the coding. Most of the initial script he could keep, but if he wanted to properly get rid of all evidence of ever conversing with the psychotic blond he was indebted to then he would need to get a little creative. He still wasn't entirely sure what on earth he was doing, but if he was going to attempt getting out of Doflamingo's debt he was going to have to make sure that none of the security cameras at his estate, nor his phone could prove he and Sanji had ever interacted in any manner.

Despite his agitated stance, he couldn't find it in himself to fall back into his desk chair to work as the anxiety had his legs quivering minutely. Pausing only to roll up his sleeves he continued to write long after his back had grown stiff from the position and his neck began to cramp. The only thing he could focus on was the continual reassuring tapping of the keys under his fingers as he kept writing.

After everything with Zoro his anger had mostly faded, but at the realization of Doflamingo's deception had it springing back to life with a vengeance. Sanji had never killed before, never thought about it before, but if everyone around him was gonna threaten him with death, then it was a game he was willing to give a try.

Eventually he pulled back and surveyed his work, not entirely sure it was completed but unable to see any visible flaws in the script. Hitting save he pulled up another program he had to scan over the script to check for bugs, as well as test it for performance and accuracy. As a little bar popped up giving the percentage of completion Sanji finally pushed himself away from his desk shakily and stormed off to his room.

Grabbing an old black rucksack that had sat unused in the corner of his closet, he began throwing spare clothing into it; a pair of black jeans, gloves, toque, and an unmarked deep navy hoodie. Keeping the top flap of the pack open he rushed into the other room and threw open the broom closet, swiping a coil of rope and shoving it into the bag along with a bottle of ammonia.

Sanji had never even considered doing anything along the lines of what he was planning, but he had a pretty straightforward idea about how to erase his steps once he did. The only issue was properly figuring out the best way to do it, but his mind was already a whirring machine of ideas and he had exactly one week to perfect it.

Striding by the living room, Sanji noted the program was still scanning as he entered the kitchen. Standing still for a long moment as he tried to settle his rapid breathing, the strap of the black rucksack cutting into his palm as his hand trembled. He still wasn't sure if his shaking was caused by his anger or fear, as the emotions waged war within him.

Dropping the pack to the ground he pulled open a drawer hastily, the contents once more rolling around as he scowled before slamming it shut and pulling open another. Riffling through several drawers before finally finding what he was looking for; his cooking knife.

Pulling it free of the protective sheath, he held it carefully as he scanned the length of the blade critically. Sanji still couldn't fathom what his brain was supplying he do, but his desperation was causing him to become irrational in his search for an answer.

The blade tilted in his quavering grip and he saw a flash of his reflection, face gaunt with crushing terror as the reality of what he was even contemplating doing was laid bare before him. The unforgivable, undeniably monstrous act that he was planning on attempting...

What... what on earth was he thinking?

Knife falling from trembling fingers to clatter on the floor with a chilling rattle Sanji collapsed to the floor with his back pressed up against a cabinet. Hands furling in his hair as he tried to calm the rage that had him spiralling into a dark place that he had never thought he'd ever be. Turmoil rocked him to his core, breathing coming in short panicked gasps as he fought with his inner demons.

How could he possibly do what he had been thinking?

Despite his hopelessness, his defeat, and his ultimate surrender of his very life; he shouldn't allow it to make him lose himself. It would put himself on the same level as that sadistic tyrant that had been terrorizing the city for the past few months; was that what he wanted to become?

Fishing his phone out from his pocket in a panic as he dialed Zoro's number, he held it to his ear as he rested his head on his knees and listened to the rings as his breathing became more erratic. Sanji had no idea if the other man would know what to do, but he had promised to help, and right now Sanji needed something to ground himself.

A jilted sob lanced through his chest and got caught in his throat as the rings continued right through to voicemail and he listened to the soothing tone of Zoro's voice as though it was his last anchor to reality at the moment. When Zoro's voice finally cut out Sanji barely waited for the shrill beep before talking.

“It was all him,” Sanji whined into the phone morosely, curling further in on himself as he held the phone in a trembling grip. For the second time that day unable to stop the tears that had been caged within him, the hot trails leaking from his scrunched eyes as he sobbed, “It was him from the very beginning; he set me up and I was stupid enough to fall for it.”

Sanji didn't know what he was expecting from the other man, least of all what his reaction would be to getting such a panicked voicemail. But right now Zoro was the only person left on this planet that had even promised to try and help him, and if he didn't help me then he was sure to do something he might regret.

“Help me.” Sanji pleaded quietly into the phone, ducking his head further and shutting his eyes against welling tears as he prayed to any higher power that might be listening. Needing some sort of guidance to get him through this; some choice that could liberate him.

“Help me.” Sanji asked desperately a second time, knowing that no one would answer – and not even entirely sure if he was even asking for Zoro's help – just wanting anyone to hear him.

“Help me.” Sanji murmured for a third and final time as the phone slid from his ear to fall to the floor as his hands continued up until they curled over his head. Hands gripping his hair in desperate holds as he curled further in on himself and tried to calm the storm of terror swirling inside.

TBC...


	20. Shackled Dissimulation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been incredibly frustrated with my writing lately, seriously been double guessing everything. I'm following my writing plan though so I just need to trust myself. Ugh I'm gonna go crawl into hole now.

“You can't just quit.” Ace implored quietly, though his earnest tone was beginning to wear thin as he watched Sanji with disappointed eyes from his place near the door. Since Sanji had walked into work a few minutes ago and given his notice of resignation Ace had went from disbelief and indigence to anger and now finally, pleading.

“I'm sorry.” Sanji supplied for neigh on the hundredth time since he had told the man that as of tomorrow he'd no longer able to come to work anymore. Ace had whined, and threw all manner of 'two-week notice' legalities at Sanji but it hadn't changed anything. If all went according to Doflamingo's plan, Sanji wouldn't have a say of leaving the house once the end of the week came let alone go to work.

Doflamingo had sent a text on precisely what affairs needed to be set in order by Friday; and he basically meant all of them. Sanji had contacted his apartment and cancelled his lease – fees already paid – and had withdrawn his application to RLU as well. Quitting work had been last on the list and even though it had been quite some time since he had required the necessity of work, it irked him that one of the few things that he truly enjoyed doing was being taken from him as well.

“You know...” Ace muttered softly, his previous frustration abated a tad as he came to stand near Sanji, “We've known each other long enough I can tell when something's wrong with you.”

Sanji didn't say anything, just continued pulling things from his locker and shoving them into his backpack as he fought down the guilt of having to lie to Ace once more. Nose crinkling unpleasantly as he pulled one of his work shirts from the back that was covered in what appeared to be cat hair, rolling his eyes in exasperation as someone had clearly borrowed his shirt, worn it home, and then buried it at the back of Sanji's locker the next day so he wouldn't notice.

“Dude,” Ace jabbed, some of his famous – yet rare – fiery temper showing through as he was clearly refraining from grabbing Sanji and forcing him to look at him, “Don't ignore me. You know if you got a better job offer or something then that's fine, but stop acting like it's the end of the world. I'm a big boy; I can handle it.”

Shoving the last of his things into his knapsack, Sanji zipped the top shut with a jerk and finally turned to Ace with a defeated sigh, “It's not another job.”

“Then what?!” Ace balked in confusion, arms unfolding from where they had been folded over his chest as he threw his hands up in the air in exasperation, “Cause you had a good thing going here; school and everything. What's making you give all this up?”

Sanji shrugged hopelessly; he was tired of lying, and where his lies had led him, but he also knew he would never be able to tell Ace the truth. Despite how badly he wanted to; he couldn't. Exposing his debt to Doflamingo would mean exposing Sanji's own illegal actions within the company, and he couldn't put Ace in that position.

“Is it Zoro?!” Ace asked suddenly, a tinge of weary anger in his tone and that had Sanji stopping in his tracks. Sadly thinking of the manifesting worry that had begin to grow in his gut since their encounter last week; that was a whole other situation he was still trying to process and deal with.

“No.” Sanji admitted almost regretfully, “Nothing to do with him.”

“Then what?!” Ace exploded, clearly at a loss.

“Look,” Sanji finally managed, slinging the strap of his backpack over his shoulder as he began edging slowly towards the door, “I have some debts I need to pay off; some things that can't be fixed by working here or going to school. It sucks, but I have to honour my word.”

“Take out a loan from the bank then!” Ace argued, throwing his hands up once more in frustration, “This is ridiculous!”

“It's not something money can fix.” Sanji supplied cryptically, finally managing to get around Ace's accusatory glare and towards the exit. Hating how guilty he felt having to just ditch the man without so much as a proper explanation; considering how long they had known each other he wished he could divulge more.

“Does it have something to do with that hand injury?” Ace jabbed suspiciously, causing Sanji to pause in his tracks at Ace's clever perceptiveness.

“No.” Sanji lied simply, hand unconsciously tightening around the strap of his backpack as he knew that the injury literally had everything to do with his resignation. Doflamingo was responsible for the injury regardless if he had been the one to inflict it or not.

“Oh, c'mon.” Ace rolled his eyes in annoyance, clearly not buying Sanji's words, “Since when did you get so full of secrets?”

“Ace,” Sanji warned, stifling a disparaging laugh from leaving him at the notion of Ace believing he had no secrets; Sanji's entire life was built on a foundation of secrets. He had more than was good for him, and the proof was the current state of his life, “Drop it.”

“Fine.” Ace still didn't seem like he wanted to drop the subject – if anything looked more riled up because of Sanji's blatant avoidance – but finally seemed to deflate in defeat. Dropping his head and shaking it sadly as he muttered, “I don't like it, but I'll respect your wishes.”

“Ace.” Sanji prodded sincerely, holding out his hand as he watched the man raise his head to look at Sanji's soft smile with a disgruntled moue of disapproval, “Thanks for being a great boss.”

Ace was clearly not happy with the turn of events but eventually gave in, a smile breaking out across his face, and snatched up Sanji's hand in a rigid grip, giving it a firm shake as he sighed begrudgingly, “It was great having you.”

Releasing the hold, Sanji managed through a deceptively fake smile, “When I get back is there a chance I can call you up for a job?”

“Don't even think twice about it.” Ace assured with a smile, “I look forward to it.”

“I'll keep in touch.” Sanji promised – the lie tasting bitter on his tongue – as he made his way out of the back room and across the store floor, weaving through the masses of people checking out the electronic equipment as he bid farewell to the place for good. The lies he had fed Ace were meant to ease the blow of him leaving, but the odds of him coming back to work here were fairly slim. Sanji still had no clue how long Doflamingo intended for him to stay with him, and he still didn't have a plan on how to potentially get out of his debt.

Pulling his phone from his pocket at that thought, he stared down at the blank screen as no new notifications had lit up the phone in almost a week. Aside from dealing with his apartment, school, and work; the rest his time had been spent cleaning up his mess of an apartment so he could cancel his lease (though there was no way he was getting his damage deposit back thanks to the holes he had left in the drywall). Most of his frivolous belongings were put away in a rented storage locker and now his apartment sat mostly empty aside from the few packed bags of things in his bedroom and the rucksack that he had thrown under his bed in self loathing.

And as for Zoro;

Silence.

Ever since the man had showed up breathless and begging Sanji hadn't seen nor heard from him since, and the mixed signals Sanji was receiving from the other man were driving him crazy. Sanji knew that from everything Zoro had said that he seemed fully intent on helping Sanji get out of this situation, but Sanji wasn't sure what that meant. If Zoro had a plan to get him away from Doflamingo, and if he was so set on helping Sanji; why wasn't he here? 

Tomorrow would be Sanji's final day of freedom, and all he had really wanted to was to say goodbye to Zoro one last time regardless if Zoro planned to follow through on his promise or not. Knowing the man didn't despise him was a relief, but it didn't stop him from yearning to look at the man one more time before leaving. However, now Zoro was giving him nothing but radio silence and it was unnerving. Sanji was beginning to worry that maybe the man had changed his mind.

Who could blame him if he did?

Opening his phone, Sanji's thumb hovered over the key pad as he contemplated sending the man another text. Deciding against it as he pocketed it once more and stepped onto the bus that arrived to take him back to his apartment; Zoro had his reasons for whatever he was doing and pestering him wouldn't change anything.

When the silence had started Sanji had initially begun to worry that Doflamingo had went back on his side of the bargain, but the man had promised that as long as Sanji obeyed then Zoro would stay out of harm. Zoro was Doflamingo's last bartering chip, without him alive he had nothing to threaten Sanji with; he wouldn't dare do anything to compromise that. But it was still out of the ordinary that Zoro would be so quiet.

Taking a seat midway down the bus he slumped heavily and loosened Zoro's tie from around his neck, the small piece of fabric a timid beacon of hope as he tried not to let the impending weight of his future bear down on him any further. Glancing around as he noted the woman opposite him reading the paper, the headline emblazoned on the front incredibly foreboding;

Crucifier Strikes Again; Local Musician Found

There wasn't much Sanji could make out from the small print below, but the name of the older gentleman pictured on the front was just describable as Brook Soul. Sanji had been so wrapped up in his own little world he couldn't recall anything about it being on the news and social media lately. His concern had been mostly directed towards Doflamingo and Zoro's absence...

A cold chill travelled up Sanji spine as his obliviousness came back to hit in in the face with obvious clarity. Eyes widening as a horrifying thought entered his mind; surely... surely this had nothing to do with the Crucifier?

It hadn't been something that had ever even entered into the realm of possibilities regarding his concern for Zoro, but the more he mulled over the idea the more it grew in legitimacy. While statistically unlikely, Zoro's odd silence was a definite cause for concern, and should ideally be the biggest tip off. 

Sitting up straighter in his seat he noted they were on the main part of East Blue Boulevard and nearing Zoro's clinic as a thought struck him. If Zoro truly was missing, then the first people to notice him not showing up would be his work. Darting out of his seat and making for the doors at the back of the bus with a sudden panicked urgency, praying the man was at work and nothing was wrong. Sanji would rather the man be fine and ignoring him, than have him involved with anything to do with the Crucifier.

Pulling the string to request the bus to stop, he nearly tripped and broke his neck as he bolted through the doors and off the automobile. Running down the busy afternoon street as he made for Zoro's work as his inkling of doubt was beginning to spawn a more awful nervousness. It seemed like he was almost grasping at straws, but the man's sudden lack of contact was worrying and he felt he had a right given the current circumstances in the city to be frightened.

Practically breaking down the front door, he could hear the small bell that usually chimed when someone entered clang unpleasantly behind him as he rushed inside. Making for the reception desk breathlessly, sweat soaking his clothes from the sprint here.

“Kalifa! Is Dr. Roronoa in today?!” Sanji gasped heavily as he leaned against the desk perhaps a little too urgently and startled the poor woman. Kalifa looked up at him in pure bewilderment, brow drawing down as she cast a glance towards the offices of the clinic before back at Sanji.

“Um... no.” Kalifa stated slowly, enunciating her words a little too slowly, as though Sanji was hard of hearing, “He doesn't work today.”

“Oh...” Sanji muttered in disappointment, even though he hadn't been able to get a hold of the man it might have been nice to able to find him here. If he had only been gone a day then that ruled out potential kidnapping and it seemed that if the unanswered texts were any indication, Zoro didn't really want to see Sanji.

“Sanji?” Kalifa asked carefully, eyes still wandering all over Sanji's frame as she still seemed confused by his presence, “Right?”

“Yeah. Yeah...” Sanji mumbled absently, fingers fiddling nervously with the phone in his pocket as he was beginning to realize his misplaced panic. It was possible Zoro just simply wasn't responding to him and he had been trying to rationalize it as something far more sinister, “So he should be at home then?”

“Uh, yes...” Kaifa muttered, “He should be, anyways.”

“Okay.” Sanji nodded, a bit more reassured before nodding gratefully as he began backing out of the office, “Thank you!”

“Sure.” Kalifa mumbled shortly, watching Sanji leave with that same curious expression plastered across her face. Ignoring it as a he turned to leave with a pout of annoyance beginning to form on his face. 

If Zoro had been at work all week – and happened to have today off – then there was absolutely no reason the man shouldn't be responding; unless he decided that he didn't want to help Sanji after all. And if that was the case he could at least have the decency to let Sanji know despite already getting his hopes up. Catching another bus, he began heading to Zoro's apartment, intending to find out once and for all what the hell was going on.

~X~

Sanji unlocked the door quietly, gently pushing it open as he entered with a cautious look around, already sensing something was amiss. There was a stillness that hung in the air that made it seem like the man hadn't been here in days; the mail piled up on the floor behind the door an obvious giveaway. It didn't seem like an apartment that had been properly lived in for a man going to work everyday.

Closing the portal slowly behind himself, Sanji flicked on a light and made his way through the apartment, giving a cursory look for the man. Going through each room of the house to try and find anything that might tell him where Zoro was, he found it increasingly nerve wracking as everything came up undisturbed. The kitchen was in a rather clean state – a few dishes left beside the sink to be done later – but otherwise dutifully maintained. In the living room he found it much the same as it was apparent that it was lived in, but had a coldness to it as though it hadn't been used in some time.

Entering Zoro's bedroom a small part of him held his breath in hope that perhaps he would find he man asleep in bed, but was met with nothing. The bed messily made as a bin of clean laundry was left at the foot of the closet, items still needing folding. Turning and making his way back down the hall he sent a cursory glance into the bathroom and the spare bedroom, both coming up empty as he neared Zoro's office.

Sanji paused near the door to Zoro's den. He had never really spent much time in the room since it was where the man kept all his work things and files on his patients. It had been out of respect of his clients privacy that he hadn't wandered through, and also because generally when Zoro was in here working Sanji tried to let him focus. But Zoro wasn't here right now and Sanji was beginning to look for anything that might be a clue as to where he was.

Pushing down the fear that something terrible might have happened to the man he stepped inside the office, ignoring the nagging voice in his ear about the strangeness of the situation. It didn't look like anything had been disturbed or that there was a struggle and – while some of the victims had been taken without trace – Zoro was the type that would definitely put up a fight.

Sanji eyed the high-backed desk chair that would usually house a frazzled Zoro; hunched over his desk muttering to himself as he read over documents, or with his thick rimmed glasses reflecting the light of his monitor as he typed away furiously on his keyboard. It looked so empty now as it sat a couple feet away from the desk, like Zoro had pushed himself out of it after finishing his work and simply hadn't returned to it.

Walking past the desk he dragged a hand along the gorgeous oak as his eyes lazily scanned the jumbled piles of files, notes, and prescriptions he had been working on for his patients. The chair wasn't tucked in like it normally was when Zoro finished for the day, and his glasses were left upside down on his paperwork as though he had been interrupted. Sanji finished rounding the desk and stood behind it as the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach was beginning to have some merit.

Sanji reached out a hand for Zoro's glasses before pausing stiffly, brows furrowing in slight interest as a name just under the spectacles caught his eye amoungst the many files littering the cluttered desk.

Monkey.

Shuffling several papers out the way, he eventually revealed a bundle of notes that had slipped from their file folder. Picking them up slowly and righting them gently in his hands as he scanned the first page. A mass of information and scribbled notes were filled out in Zoro's distinctive messy scrawl on the form provided, including date and personal information.

It was dated two years ago – the patient's name unmistakably that of Luffy D. Monkey – the same exact boy from the news, and underneath a listing of personal information. Notes about a shoulder injury, along with recommended exercises to help with recovery; all of it written in Zoro's handwriting.

Sanji frowned.

Zoro had never mentioned treating this boy. Though they hadn't known each other when the boy first disappeared, Zoro had still mentioned knowing the other child; why would he leave out this? It seemed a superfluous fact, but at the same time strangely curious. 

Surely... it meant nothing.

A cold sweat had began to spread across Sanji's body as he slowly lowered the files and cast a glance behind himself to the large filing cabinets by the wall. The dark, wooden drawers filled with files on everyone Zoro had ever treated, and even patients he was still currently treating. Grip tightening on the papers in his hands, they began crumpling as he internally struggled over his morals to go digging through Zoro's patient files. 

Throwing the file to the desk, his hands flew into his hair in frustration as he tousled his hair roughly before giving out an exasperated sigh as he was beginning to become annoyed over his curiosity and suspicions. Hands falling to his sides he levelled another heated glare at the cabinets before finally giving into his worse half and lunged forward. 

To his astonishment none of the cabinets were locked, and he quickly began pulling open drawers to scan the alphabetized folders for any name that might spark his memory. Fingers dexterously separating the folders so he could properly get a look at each last name provided. As he got to the lower drawers he dropped to his knees and continued searching; he didn't know why he was looking, nor what he expected to prove but the ill feeling in his gut had begun to roil unpleasantly in his unease.

Just as he was about to give up and admit he was being irrational, his hands stilled as his eyes landed on a very familiar name that he had been praying not to see. A single shaking hand reaching out to snag the corner and pull the entire manila folder free from its companions. The name across the top one he was quite well acquainted with;

Nami Mikan

Folder falling open in his trembling hands, he slowly turned until he was seated with his back pressed up against the cabinets as he looked over everything scrawled in Zoro's erratic writing. The girl had suffered an ankle injury a year ago and had seen Zoro once for a check up and recommended physiotherapy exercises. At the top of the form all her information had been filled out; including address...

Folder slowly falling from his lax grip to scatter papers across the floor, Sanji sat against the cabinets not wanting to believe what his mind was already beginning to suspect. Breaths beginning to stutter as dread started to sluice through him at what this could possibly mean... 

Lurching around he began riffling through the draws with a silent panic, needing to prove his overactive mind wrong as his pulse started to race. Blood was rushing in Sanji's ears as the noise of the outside world faded to a shrill hum as he became meticulously cautious in his panic. Pulling open one of the bottom draws he began riffling through all the files with a tredaptious urgency, eyes scanning for familiar names that had been burned into his memory by the media. Panic causing him to quiver as file after file was pulled free until he was left kneeling on Zoro's office floor panting in fear.

Everything began slowing back to normality as he unsteadily pushed himself to his feet, folders in hand as the pounding in his ears had begun fading to a terrifying silence. Coming to a stop in front of Zoro's desk he stared down at the seven folders in his hands. Each one emblazoned with a name that was so terrifyingly familiar that the reality of what he was seeing was mind numbing.

Tossing one down on the desk with a deafening smack;

Luffy D. Monkey; torn rotator cuff. 

Another thrown down to land partially covering Luffy's;

Nami Mikan; sprained ankle. 

The folder of the boy that had been snatched up after school with no witness hit the desk and skittered across the top before coming to rest near the edge;

Usopp Snipe; broken arm. 

The file on the boy that been stolen from his grandmother, dropped onto the desk below Luffy and Nami's folders with a bit more force;

Tony Chopper; broken leg. 

Information on the woman from the University that had been bled like an animal, slapping down beside the innocent boy's;

Robin Nico; carpal tunnel. 

A deafening smack as another folder was thrown down to partially cover the older woman's, the man that he had only learned about a week ago;

Franky Flam; slipped disc.

And the final folder, held in Sanji's trembling grip, was the name of a man he had only just found out about a few hours prior;

Brook Soul; arthritis.

Why on earth would Zoro have files on all of these people?

A single droplet of anxious sweat ran down his spine as he remained hunched over the folders on the desk as his vision was beginning to narrow in his panic. Through the dead silence that clung to the eerie office Sanji could hear Shuryia's voice ring out quietly in his ear;

An invisible connection...

Sanji tossed the final file on the table and curled away in repulsion, hand clamping over his mouth to fight the sudden urge to vomit. The blond remained frozen with his hand over his mouth, gripping his own jaw tightly in an attempt to ground himself over what he had just come to realize. The cops, the FBI, the public, had been searching for months to find a connection between the victims, and now here was the one single string of evidence laid out before Sanji's very eyes.

Forcing himself to stay calm, Sanji released the steadying grip he had kept on his jaw and planted his hands on the desk as he leaned over the files critically. Eyes scanning each one randomly as he kept telling himself this couldn't possibly mean what he was thinking; it was ludicrous to even suggest that Zoro would have anything to do with the disappearances of these people. Something completely circumstantial shouldn't have him jumping to any conclusions he might regret...

Was he jumping to conclusions?

It was far too suspicious that Zoro had worked with each and every person that had been kidnapped, and in addendum had never once mentioned any of it to Sanji. If he had had nothing to hide then it wouldn't have mattered, but he had specifically feigned innocence. There had been plenty of opportunities for Zoro mention that he knew other victims but he hadn't said anything. There was only one explanation...

Sanji's hands tightened on the edges of the desk until his knuckles flared white as he realized the totality of what he was even considering accusing the other man of. Not only kidnapping, but of the desecration and murder of seven or more people. Those faces, and the crime scenes from the news flashing before him with terrifying intensity as his eyes fell shut to try and stave off his growing nausea.

If Zoro truly was responsible for such heinous acts and Sanji turned in these files immediately, Sanji would never see the man ever again; at least not face to face. Zoro's face would be plastered on news reports all over the world and the most Sanji would ever see of him would be at the trial where he gave his statement and even then he and Zoro would never speak directly. 

Zoro would be in cuffs behind a desk, his lawyer beside him, and he could already picture the hardened, cold stare that would be fixated on Sanji as he sat in the witnesses seat. Spilling all their secrets for the entire world to know, pouring out the pained way he'd fallen for the man before realizing what a monster he truly was. And despite how close they would be in that room – mere feet away – he'd never talk to the man again. Never be given the chance to ask him what had been bothering him the moment he found out what Zoro had done.

Why?

Sanji couldn't care less about hearing it on television, or through some butchered confession by a news reporter, or even real footage of the man looking directly into the lens while confessing. He wanted to be standing in front of Zoro, eyes locked with the man he thought he had known, and having his undivided attention as the man he loved told him honestly why he had done all those terrible things.

Eyes snapping open, Sanji stared dazedly at the wall opposite him with a hardened glare realizing that his selfishness was irrelevant when compared to the victims. His need for gratification wasn't worth sacrificing the opportunity to get the person responsible caught. Those smiles from the portraits emblazoned in his mind as he decided definitively to do the right thing for the first time in his life. For so long he had been okay with keeping the secrets of people hidden from the world and profiting from them, now every iota of his being told him to do the right thing and turn the man in.

Snatching up the files, Sanji stormed from the office swiftly, barely stopping to grab his bag of things before rushing to the entrance of the apartment. One hand shrugging his duffel over his shoulder as he strode with nervous urgency and the other clutching the manila folders under his arm in a sweaty death grip. The files weren't particularly incriminating, but with the FBI involved they were sure to want to look into someone whom had coincidentally known all the victims.

Sanji made it to the door, hand latching onto the knob with furious intent before faltering; what if he was wrong?

Considering everything that had happened recently he wasn't exactly thinking clearly, this could be something insignificant that he was blowing way out of proportion. What if he did something he might regret? What if he got Zoro put under suspicion for something he really wasn't responsible for? What if he accused the man of something he never did and destroyed the remnants of their already nearly shattered relationship forever? How could Sanji dare to jeopardize that over a few random folders?

Sanji would have lost the trust of the final person that was on his side; that was still willing to fight for him. Did he not trust the person he had come to love...?

A shuddering breath left Sanji as he slowly retracted his hand from the doorknob in front of him as he realized that there was no way he could leave. Despite the deaths, and the families, and the people all throughout the city locked in their homes with worry; Sanji's selfishness became greater. Closing his eyes with jilted remorse, he tightened his grip on the folders, and abruptly turned on his heel and made his way back into the living room to wait.

Zoro deserved a chance to explain.

Once in the living room Sanji fell down on the couch heavily, as the burden of the thoughts racing through his mind was finally beginning to show on his body. Pulling his phone numbly from his pocket, Sanji sent the man a simple text;

Meet me at your apartment.

And for the first time in a week Zoro had replied easily;

Ok. Be there in twenty.

~X~

In Zoro's apartment Sanji had begun to pace like a caged animal as his tension over the situation had grown as the minutes ticked by. Hands alternating between fisting in his hair as he seethed through gritted teeth, to folding his arms across his chest as he chewed on his thumb nail neurotically in a desperate attempt to reassure himself he wasn't making a huge mistake. Confusion, fury, and doubt roiled in his gut as he waited for Zoro to arrive; heart nearly jumping out of his chest at the smallest noise.

It had been twenty five minutes and Sanji was beginning to panic at the thought that his original assumptions were correct. A surge of terrified enlightenment hit him as he realized this was probably the stupidest thing in the world to be doing; cornering a potential serial killer without any back up. But the personal outrage overtook his basic instincts and he found it astonishingly easy to disregard his own safety for his indignation over being lied to by this man.

However, despite his rage he had resolved to leave for the police officially if Zoro didn't arrive within the next five minutes. Seconds ticked by mercilessly and the tension slowly began to fall from Sanji's shoulders at the thought that Zoro wasn't coming when there was a sudden sharp click from the door as it was unlocked.

It had Sanji freezing on the spot, all emotion and thought draining from his body as his veins turned icy cold and the sensation of the floor under his feet was a distant thought. Choking down a painful swallow, he forced the muscles in his legs to work out of sheer will power as he moved towards the entrance so he could see the door; reminding himself that Zoro was as of yet unaware of Sanji's reason for calling on him. As far as Zoro knew Sanji wanted to talk to him before having to move to Doflamingo's tomorrow.

The door opening was probably one of the most dramatic, nausea inducing moments of his life as the wooden panel swept back to reveal the outline of the man that was currently the object of his love, fear, and repulsion. Simple white wallpaper of the hallway wall bordered the man, and even as he stood there innocently with a calm expression on his face, Sanji couldn't help but feel a darkness underneath that was just shyly being masked.

“Hey.” Zoro offered casually, shutting the door behind himself as if nothing were amiss before glancing up with a lazy smile. Sanji tried to ignore the feeling in the pit of his stomach that made him feel like he had just witnessed the devil cross the threshold.

“Hi.” Sanji responded back quietly, trying to remind himself that Zoro was simply a man. Just a simple human that had his hands – his potentially blood-stained hands – shoved casually in his pockets as he meandered into his apartment. All of Sanji's insecurities and doubts made it seem like the man he was looking at was a stranger as he turned stiffly and watched Zoro toe out of his shoes before making his way past Sanji.

Sanji followed after silently, throat useless as he wasn't sure how to even begin; out right calling him a murderer seemed odd and a little anticlimactic. Zoro could just simply deny the claim anyway. This might involve a bit of extortion and cleverly worded questions on his part, but in the end he really had no idea what to do; he'd never had to force someone to admit to murder. Felony, arson, cheating; he had done all of that before, but not this.

Stopping in the living room, Zoro's back was to the blond as he took Sanji's silence as an invitation and quietly muttered, “Sorry I haven't been responding; I've been working out how to fix your debt problem.”

“That um...” Sanji trailed off as the dryness in his throat caused his words to crack – that issue was currently the last thing on his mind – coughing gently before muttering, “That actually wasn't what I wanted to talk about.”

“Oh?” Zoro intoned innocently, back still to him but his head tilting slightly in curiosity. Sanji would've mistaken it for genuine interest if not for the slight upward infliction at the end that was just shy of humour. It hardly instilled any confidence within him and instead caused his gut to twist painfully as that same darkness was becoming more palpable within the room.

“Yeah... um...” Sanji trailed off uselessly as he suddenly noticed – with startling confusion – his rucksack slung over the man's shoulder; the stitching on the strap unmistakable. The pack that had been full with the unmentionable items he had been planning to take along with him to Doflamingo's to take care of the horrid man; the items which he was almost certainly still in denial over accumulating. The same exact backpack that he had stowed underneath his bed in his apartment and had been heavily debating throwing in the garbage before leaving tomorrow.

Zoro flipped the strap from his shoulder, the bag dangling from his hand loosely before tossing it aside as it hit the floor and slouched against the wall. The pack looking significantly emptier than Sanji had left it, as he raised a wary glance up at the other man, whom had turned to finally face the blond.

“Why do you have that?” Sanji asked with horrified trepidation, knowing it wasn't the question he had originally planned on asking, but alarmed at the fact that the man somehow managed to get his hands on that bag.

“I told you.” Zoro murmured pointedly, eyes watching Sanji with a layered possessiveness that the blond had never been privy to before, “I'd get you out of this.”

The words hung in the air with thick insinuation, causing Sanji to shrink warily as he dared not let his mind wander to what Zoro was implying. It made absolutely no sense as to why the man would have had Sanji's pack, or why he would have needed anything in it. 

Unless...

“What do you mean?” Sanji asked carefully, watching Zoro cautiously as everything was beginning to slowly add up in ways that Sanji vehemently wanted to deny. Suddenly very much aware of the humidity in the room, the imbalance in his worn out shoes, and the quivering of his left knee as Sanji began internally pleading that the other man had not gotten him free of Doflamingo's debt in the way he was implying.

“You asked for my help.” Zoro alluded earnestly as his eyes met Sanji's for the first time since truly entering the apartment and the blond found himself paralyzed by what he found there. It was the same harmless, innocent gaze he had fallen in love with; and it was more terrifying than any glare or soulless gaze that could be directed his way.

“What did you do?” Sanji reiterated, this time much more clearly, desperately fighting to ignore that gaze that had usually disarmed him so easily. However, the creeping horror of what Zoro had possibly done was managing to keep him grounded enough to hold his resolve.

Zoro's eyes darted down to the files in Sanji's hand, and he could see a flicker of recognition in the man's eye that did not bode well. Manila folders crumpling in his grip as he continued to watch the other man cautiously as he still had yet to answer. Ignoring the question entirely, Zoro extended a steady hand towards the blond and demanded gently, “Give me those files, Sanji.”

Regardless of the space between them, Sanji still snapped them out of reach behind himself as he sized up Zoro carefully, the initial reason for why he had even called the man here presenting itself. Sanji still wasn't entirely sure how to process what Zoro could have possibly done to get him out of Doflamingo's clutches, but he did have enough resolve to counter quickly, “Why do you have these?”

“They're patient files.” Zoro supplied facetiously, not lowering his hand as he continued lazily, “I generally need them for when I take in a client.”

“They can't find anything to link those murder victims; and yet you've worked with all of them....” Sanji murmured hollowly, his voice tight and laced with growing consternation as the totality of his accusation left his lips, “It can't be a coincidence!”

Zoro watched Sanji steadily for a lot longer than was comfortable as he seemed to be sizing the blond up, and Sanji himself was beginning to panic due to Zoro's lack of reciprocation. There wasn't an inkling of shock, or even a minutia of indigence over what Sanji was speculating the man had done; instead he got a levelled stare of impassivity. 

“It's not a coincidence.” Zoro finally admitted unabashedly, his face still uncharacteristically calm for someone whom was admitting to something of this grandeur. It was almost as if he wasn't at all surprised at what Sanji had found out and was accusing him off.

Ignoring all of it, Sanji closed his eyes as he inhaled deeply to try and calm his racing heart beat as the reality of the situation was slowly beginning to settle in, “So it's true then?”

“Which part?” Zoro inquired easily.

Sanji's eyes snapped open and flashed dangerously, “You know damn well what part!”

“The murders?” Zoro intoned with a false smile of interest, “It's true.”

Sanji had known from the moment he had found those files in Zoro's den that there was no doubt about what the man had done, but to hear the confirmation from the man himself was far more crushing than he could've ever expected. It was like the floor had broken out from under his feet and everything inside him had jerked into his throat. Folders falling from his forlorn grasp to scatter the papers of the victims across the floor in disarray.

“Oh my god...” Sanji breathed out hopelessly, knowing it was true but not realizing how crushing it would be hearing it admitted from those lips that he had come to adore. Not to mention the careless way the man didn't even seem to be fazed by the notion of what he had done. Hand coming up to cover his face Sanji managed hollowly, “Oh my god...”

“Pity.” Zoro mused casually, his voice reaching Sanji's ears despite not wanting to listen to that usually comforting voice a moment longer, “I thought you of all people would understand...”

That had Sanji freezing on the spot, his previous empty defeat lost as the rage from earlier came back full force and he found his hand slowly lowering to his side as he raised his head to the look at the other man. The line of his shoulders growing tense and his hands clenching into fists as he met the disappointed gaze of Zoro and finally snapped.

“I DON'T KILL PEOPLE!” Sanji bellowed back angrily, fists clenched while the line of his arms and back were so tense the muscle strain was beginning to hurt. Though he didn't know what else to do; if he didn't hold himself back so forcefully his fight or flight reflexes would kick in and he'd either hit Zoro in a blind rage or run from the apartment in pure unbridled fear.

“Oh?” Zoro's voice intoned curiously before he slowly shook his head in reprimand as his arms came up to cross over his chest, “Now, I think we both know that's not entirely true, now is it?”

“What are you on about?” Sanji snarled defensively, not appreciating the condescending tone.

Zoro's eyes flicked to Sanji's discarded backpack – the backpack that had been filled with everything Sanji had planned to take to Dolfamingo's to take care of the man – before back to Sanji. Watching the blond critically as a grin was steadily splitting his face, “What I would like to know is what you were planning on doing with the rope?”

“I wasn't...!” Sanji recoiled, aghast at the very notion of what Zoro was implying and hating that he knew the man was speaking the truth. It was something he was still having trouble admitting to himself that he had considered, let alone have anyone else know about, “I would never...”

“Don't act like the saint you like to pretend you are.” Zoro drawled with a bored expression, “You blackmail people for a living and ruin their lives; you're more heartless than me.”

“You're fucking crazy.” Sanji intoned, eyes widening at how casual the man was about all of this; this was not the same person that had clung to him mere days ago. This was a total stranger that kidnapped children, gutted them, and strung them up as entertainment, “Disturbed. Deranged.”

Had it all been an act?

“Hardly.” Zoro informed absently, sneer breaking out manically across his perfectly aligned teeth as his eyes seemed intent on pinning Sanji to his spot on the floor. And he was doing an amazing job of it too as Sanji began to realize that the innocent expression that had been on the man's face upon entering Sanji's apartment was just a cleverly built facade and the mask was currently falling away before his very eyes, “Crazy stands in corners and talks to walls.”

“Psychotic then!” Sanji spat, eyes flicking behind him to make sure that the door was to his back and that he'd have the advantage if he wanted to run. The wry expression of humour and superiority ever growing on Zoro's face was unnerving him at a dramatic rate; those impossibly perfect teeth clasped together in a grin, the darkness eclipsing his eyes so that only a dim light reflected across the glassy surface, and that odd dimple on the man's left cheek – only his left – that formed like a trench whenever something truly pleased the man.

“Do you really want to discuss the manner of our sanity?” Zoro murmured darkly as he watched Sanji intently, despite how rhetorical the question had appeared, it almost seemed as though Zoro was awaiting a reply from the blond. When Sanji failed to provide one Zoro once more eerily transformed his expression on command; shadowed anger falling away as a pleased smile drew across his face. “Good.”

Sanji floundered helplessly for a moment, not entirely sure what he should say or take away from Zoro's previous statement. Half the questions he'd been dying to ask earlier had either died in his throat or been forgotten, and instead he was just left to gaze at the man across from him with pained melancholy. It had been not a mere two weeks ago that they had been together, happy, and everything had seemed perfect.

“So it was all an act?” Sanji asked hollowly, had everything they had shared these past few months together; the looks, the smiles, the laughter, all been a hideous sham? Zoro's desperate pleading? Sanji's voice catching in a distraught choke as he managed, “A lie?”

“No,” Zoro responded slowly, a frown gently creasing his brow as though confused by his own words, “Not all of it.”

Sanji shut his eyes in a vain attempt to mask some of his pain, not knowing if he could handle the truth of what had and hadn't been real. For him, everything had been vividly genuine; the sex, the emotions, the love... He didn't think he could handle having to face what parts of those hadn't been real for the other man.

“And you had the gall to get mad at me for lying?” Sanji growled fractiously while slowly opening his eyes, trying desperately to focus on anything the man had done to channel his hatred as Sanji accused venomously, “I assume that whole argument was all fake as well?”

“You lied to me.” Zoro supplied simply, like that explanation somehow made up for his actions. Levelling Sanji with a domineering gaze that he usually only reserved for the bedroom and punctuated, “I had to make a point.”

“Fuck you.” Sanji spat. Nails cutting beds into the palms of his hands as his fists shook in his rage, head turning to the side petulantly as he refused to meet that familiar gaze. That stare that had previously haunted his footsteps in their sexual activities was now being forced upon him in far more uncouth ways and if he didn't have more self control he'd punch it off the man's smug face.

“I never lied.” Zoro replied easily, the way he was carrying on this conversation was frustratingly casual. As though everything he was currently admitting to wasn't that big of a deal, like he had planned on Sanji finding this out eventually.

“Bullshit.” Sanji seethed, keeping his gaze affixed to the floor as he refused to look at the other man's face. It was far easier relinquishing his anger towards the other man when he wasn't forced to look at his face; that disarmingly charming face that he had unfortunately fallen in love with.

“I didn't.” Zoro affirmed calmly, “You never asked.”

“I DIDN”T THINK I HAD TO!” Sanji exploded as he finally snapped his head up to glare heatedly at the other man. Clinging to his rage as he continued aggressively, “You didn't exactly advertise as the type of person that killed people for a hobby!”

Zoro remained quiet – as he often did when he no longer cared to continue an argument – watching Sanji steadily as he awaited the blond to speak again. Eyes scanning Sanji as the blond was fully coming to terms with what all of this meant; what Zoro had done, what Sanji had been oblivious enough to over look, and the contrived relationship that they had built around one another.

Now they were here, a liar and a fool standing across from each other with nothing tying them together beyond the fact that they had shared a bed. Everything felt distant and grey – a shadow of its former self – the past months a complete and utter lie. But beyond the lies, the deceit, and the betrayal, at the forefront was Sanji's horror over the dead children and adults that had suffered at this man's hands.

“J-j-just explain to me,” Sanji stuttered out desperately, hands coming up in front of himself as though trying to grasp at an unobtainable idea that was slowly getting more and more illusive. Maybe in some sad, small, pitiful part of himself he was trying to grasp at the past that had once been so pure and innocent, try to find and hold on to the remnants of that blissful perfect life that they had had together. “How you can possibly justify killing all those people?”

“Justification isn't the point.” Zoro huffed with a tired roll of his eyes, “Anyone can commit a murder...”

“Well, what is it?!” Sanji demanded through a hiss, enraged spittle building around his tightly clenched teeth as his brow drew down in continually growing anger, “Cause all I can see is a man killing people for fun!”

“You remember what I told you,” Zoro murmured quietly, completely ignoring Sanji's erratically growing emotions, “On our first date?”

“I can't quite recall at the moment!” Sanji shrieked hysterically, hands shaking as he waved them jerkily in his dismissal of the dumb question, “We said a lot of things.”

“It's the chase.” Zoro murmured, “Anyone can slaughter an animal, but to lure it in, gain its trust and then betray it in the cruellest way possible; that's killing.”

“And you did that?” Sanji choked out hoarsely, the images of all those innocent, smiling faces flashing through his minds eye as he stared down the unfazed man before him. Bile beginning to rise as he managed softly, “To them?”

“Of course.” Zoro purred with contentment, “What do you think I was doing to you?”

That had the slowly rising bile in the back of Sanji's throat sinking down at an alarming rate as an icy sensation replaced the heated acid and his fingers began to grown numb. The words echoing throughout the eerie silence of the apartment as Sanji rubbed his palms anxiously with his fingers as he worked through the painful act of a simple swallow. Finally mouthing out his response hollowly, “Are you going to kill me?”

Zoro didn't respond at first, his gaze almost wry with jest as though enjoying the fear that was currently sitting in Sanji's gut like a block of ice. It seemed that he was actually thriving off the terror that was pouring off of Sanji so obviously, before blinking heavily and murmuring, “No.”

Sanji felt some of the fear that had woven over his skin retract minutely as his initial panic faded, however his body still remained tightly wound in his trepidation. It was a simple word, but it lifted the coat of horror that had kept Sanji frozen to the spot, and gave him back some of his former confidence as he thumbed at his index finger nervously before prodding further, “Why?”

“I love you.” Zoro admitted easily, with no less than the same amount of sincerity and passion as he had the first time, but for the thin veil of confusion that draped across his tone. The words hit Sanji in much the same way they had the first time Zoro had directed them his way, but unlike last time the surge of happiness was replaced by a suffocating sensation of despair. Charming words rendered ill by a man that was no longer pure in his eyes, and now uttered words of entrapment designed to prey on Sanji's weaknesses. An aloof shadow flickered across the man's face as he continued with an air of bewilderment, “It's strange, yet I don't regret letting you live.”

“I hate you...” Sanji managed quietly, wishing with all his might that he meant the words he knew foolishly masked the real feelings he still couldn't manage to get rid of. Hating himself for being unable to completely let go of the bond that kept him wanting the man despite everything he had said and done.

“No, you don't.” Dark eyes flickering with a possessive glint, and a satisfied smirk glancing across his face as Zoro reprimanded, “We both know you feel the same.”

Sanji wanted to cry in his frustration. The pain lancing behind his eyes desperate to escape as he fought down the urge to sob. Despite the atrocities that the other man had committed – the evil – Sanji couldn't deny the overpowering emotions he had for him that somehow managed to eclipse everything else. Loathing how easy it was for his love to cast aside his horror and abandon all rationality for this man.

“I do.” Sanji admitted finally, “And I hate myself for it.”

Zoro didn't respond and when Sanji dared a glance up at the man he wanted to scream in agonized frustration when he saw nothing less than the man he had fallen in love with. Mere feet away with that comforting look of passionate concern, as though Sanji were everything he ever wanted in this world. And when he began walking towards Sanji, the blond couldn't even manage a flinch as the weariness of his mind from the past week was beginning to weigh him down impossibly.

Coming to a stop in front of Sanji, Zoro finally broke his intense stare to critically study the blond's face, expression growing almost fond as a soft smile graced his features. Hand raising to reach out for Sanji, fingers parting as he gently cupped the side of Sanji's face soothingly.

That touch elicited a torrent of memories he wished he could forget, yet at the same time clung to with a desperate urgency as he remembered all the times that hand had touched him in this way. The rough pads of his fingers dusting gently along his cheek bone, the callouses of the palm rubbing against his jaw, and the heat radiating from the flesh causing him to want to lean into the hold desperately...

Sanji became viscerally aware of himself; the sudden pain his lungs from his rapid breathing, the ache lancing through his shoulders from refraining from running from the man, and the queasiness in his gut at the notion of what the man had done with that same hand. 

The lives it had taken.

“DON'T TOUCH ME!” Sanji bellowed, jerking away from the man sharply as his hand struck out to deflect the other man's palm. Back colliding with the door as he kept a scathing glare on the man whom seemed completely unfazed by Sanji's outburst.

“If you didn't want me to touch you then why are you here?” Zoro asked earnestly, the patronizing grin plastered across his face mocking Sanji as the hand returned to once more caress the blond's cheek. “If you truly hated me you would be at the police station right now, turning me in. If you really were disgusted by what I had done, you'd be beating the shit out of me. If you didn't want my touch, you wouldn't have stayed once you realized what I did.”

Sanji shut his eyes, more from shame than anything else, because despite his repulsion, anger, and indignation; deep down he knew that every word spoken from Zoro was true. It sickened him to his very core, but here he was. Not at the police. Not trying to kill Zoro for lying to him about everything. And even now, not jerking away from that hand on his cheek that he had worshipped for the past few months.

Eyes squeezed together so tightly, he wasn't sure whether he was fighting the urge to look at Zoro or trying to deny everything Zoro was saying since he currently couldn't find the strength to clasp his hands over his ears. Maybe if he kept his eyes closed long enough he would awake in another reality where this nightmare currently wasn't taking place, maybe all this could just go away.

However, that hand pulled him back into the reality he was currently stuck in; this demented realm that he would do anything to escape from. Fingers trailing down his cheek before turning to caress along his jaw until the rough pads of his fingertips reached Sanji's lips, dragging across them with a tender reverence. 

The touch was like an electric shock to his system, revitalizing his previous courage and anger as his eyes snapped open and it became the catalyst that had his hand springing up to slap Zoro's hand away with a vengeance once more and defiantly glare back up into those surprised eyes as he gritted, “No.”

“No?” Zoro inquired innocently, head tilting to the side as his eyebrows were arched in interest at Sanji's sudden surge of reemerging confidence.

“It's because I wanted to know why.” Sanji defended hotly, previously raised hand falling to the door knob, fumbling with it urgently as he snapped, “And I've heard all I need to know that anything more from you will just be more insanity.”

“You would've found out from the cops eventually.” Zoro pointed out with a drawl, “We both know you're just making excuses for the fact that you can't let me go that easily.”

“Keep thinking that.” Sanji seethed, finally managing to get the knob to work properly and throwing the portal open with a vengeance. Nearly smacking Zoro in the shoulder with it as he stormed out of the apartment, only caring about getting as much distance between himself and the other man as possible. He made it only a few feet before pausing in his tracks when the man spoke.

“Do you think I'm just going to let you just walk away?” Zoro scoffed, though there wasn't any humour to his tone, instead he seemed almost appalled as he leaned against the door jamb and watched Sanji's frozen figure. “It will never be that easy.”

Face contorting in self directed hatred as his curiosity got the better of him, shoulders tensing at his internal struggle before turning around swiftly and glaring the man down, “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You think all those people just happened to find those bodies?” Zoro drawled in a bored tone, eyes half lidded as he watched Sanji tirelessly. It was a lazy, disconcerted, taunting expression that had Sanji gritting his teeth at the rhetorical nature of the question and glaring down the man as he simply stood beside the open door to the apartment, gazing upon Sanji patiently.

“What do you mean?” Sanji snapped finally, regretfully letting his curiosity get the better of him. He knew that most of these baiting questions were just part of Zoro's game, a way to draw Sanji in and keep him from leaving. It had already stalled him from leaving now and reporting Zoro to the cops.

Instead of answering Sanji's question, Zoro calmly turned and entered the apartment once more, leaving Sanji alone in the hallway, panting a little too breathlessly for a simple conversation. Casting a jerky glance over his shoulder at the stairwell he tried to force himself to turn and leave, forget about the answers he wanted from the psychotic man currently responsible for several murders.

Knees quaking, he tried to lift a foot, but his body wasn't reacting and the interest in what Zoro's previous question meant was growing in its intensity with each passing moment. Scowling, he finally gave in and followed the man back into the apartment against his better judgment, slamming the door furiously behind himself as he seethed, “What. Do. You. Mean?!”

“The police, the media, the public. All of them are just part of my little web of control.” Zoro jeered proudly, and Sanji was more than a little annoyed that Zoro was standing just inside the foyer waiting for him, as though he knew Sanji was going to come back, “Those people found the bodies because I wanted them to be found. There's no evidence there because I never wanted anything to give the families hope. I left that folder out for you to find because I knew you'd come snooping. I am in complete and utter control of this situation, and by extension; you.”

A long silence threaded between the two men before Sanji finally uttered sharply, “What?”

“If you think for even a moment that you're free – that you're not tangled up in my web as well – you need to reevaluate your situation.” Zoro crooned, and for the first time since their conversation had begun, a hint of the man's true malicious nature slipped through. No taunting, teasing, or intimidating looks, just a simple sadistic, dark grin that truly made Sanji realize that this man was capable of murder; and enjoying it. “You make any movement to go to the cops, and all the evidence that will be needed to convict you for several lifetimes will be all over the crime scenes in under thirty minutes.”

“Y-You--” Sanji choked out, embarrassed over the way his voice caught and his body was pinned to the spot under the maddened expression of the other man. Swallowing thickly past the pasty feeling on his tongue he stuttered, “You're bluffing.”

“Am I?” The blackened expression falling away as mock surprise graced his features – the way the man so casually flipped between expressions completely psychotic – as Zoro casually stepped forward. His meander suggesting calmness, but Sanji couldn't refrain from tensing out of fear as the man neared him. Coming to a stop in front of Sanji he gave the blond a charming grin and tilted his head, “You really wanna test that theory?”

No. 

No, Sanji really did not want to test his theory, and as far as he was concerned if Zoro was able to plan all those murders and get away with it there was no way that planting some evidence to incriminate Sanji wouldn't be impossible for the psychotic man currently standing less than a foot away from him. Mouth working soundlessly around his admission, he finally gave in and shut his mouth in defeat; his lack of answer more than adequate as submission.

“Remember...” Zoro murmured consolingly, hand slowly reaching out and pulling the black tie free from where Sanji had kept it tucked protectively under his shirt. The item once a token of protection now a proverbial noose as the man wrapped the silk tail around his hand and forward him forward with a smirk, “You're mine.”

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a lot of really fun guess over who the killer was; I thoroughly enjoyed all the theories :) Some of you were correct about Zoro, however only ONE person has figured out the ending, kinda... Anyway, we're two chapters till the end. Hope I don't trip at the finish line... *crumples into a ball of nerves*


	21. The Corpse in the Canopy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you all for the kind reviews and comments the last couple chapters; we're nearing the ending and I keep getting more nervous lol One more chapter to go after this (and of course the epilogue). Hope you enjoy! Also if you want to enter the giveaway for a free printed copy of this fic the deadline is Feb 3. Just go to my tumblr :)

A sharp, repetitive click could be heard from the obnoxious purple pumps of the secretary as she made her way up the extravagant wooden staircase of the large mansion. Clipboard in hand, making for her bosses office as she went over several of the appointments the man had scheduled today. After several hours of silence from the usually impeccable man, Jora's patience was beginning to wear thin after driving all the way to her bosses home to check on him; already severely behind on her planning for the day.

 

Coming to a stop in front of his office door, she gave an irritated knock before taking a step back and waiting impatiently with a huff. Several seconds passed as not even a word was uttered from within as she stepped forward and gave another round of sharp raps on the large mahogany door, this time tapping her high-heeled shoe as she waited for his response.

 

Once more ignored, she leaned in with a sour looked and gave a short listen to see if should could even hear the other man inside. A steady drip could be heard from the den of the business tycoon as Jora crinkled her noise as she began to notice the pungent smell leaking out from within.

 

“Mr. Donquixote?” Jora tested once more, prodding the door open ever-so-gently in hopes that she didn't accidentally disturb the quick tempered man. Portal giving way with a heady groan, Jora squinted as she tried to locate the master as the closed blinds made it nearly impossible to see.

 

Taking a cautious step within the room, she reached out and flicked on the light. Looking up at the source of the dripping as a shrill wail of horror left her lips, followed by a heavy thud as she fainted back on the floor. Papers spilling from her lax grip to fall in the ever growing pool of blood on the floor, black print fading as the white absorbed to a dark crimson.

 

~X~

 

With the hard panel of wood pressed up against his back Sanji glowered at the other man defiantly, his wrath finally bubbling to its peak over Zoro's words. After everything he had done, every lie he had told, the _trust_ he had forsaken between them – that had been the very foundation of their relationship – Zoro dared to think he still had any claim of ownership over him. As far as Sanji was concerned their sexual contract was terminated.

 

Zoro's left hand remained clenched around the tie, blocking Sanji's right hand from properly reaching the other man. So he brought his left hand around with all his betrayal put into a single motion, his knuckles collided with the man's jaw with a sickening crack – hand feeling like it had struck a wall – as Zoro took a staggering step back. The adrenaline coursing through Sanji staved off the blinding pain for only a moment before the sensation of his previously injured hand hitting bone properly set in.

 

“FUCK!” Sanji howled as he dropped to his knees clutching his left hand, having completely forgotten about his injured finger through his haze of rage. The previously dislocated digit felt like it had just been broken properly this time, cradling it as gently as possible as the pain at least seemed to be helping ground himself a little bit.

 

Quivering through the waves of agony he sent a glance up at Zoro, hair falling into his face as he glared defiantly up at the man through the one eye he managed to keep open through the pain. Zoro had recovered from his stumble, standing stoically as he reached up a slow hand, thumb coming up to wipe the smear of blood from the corner of his lip with an annoyed flick.

 

“You don't _own_ me.” Sanji seethed through a pained grunt, trying to focus on breathing properly despite the electrifying amount of pain he was trying to reign in, “You _never_ fucking did.”

 

Zoro looked like he wanted to say something, but seemed to decide against it as he gifted Sanji with a disregarding look and turned away. Making his way back into the living room and then out of sight, leaving Sanji to his own devices as he seemed to be finished dealing with the blond. Sanji waited tensely, but when it seemed like the man had no intention of returning he allowed his guard to drop as he momentarily focused on his hand.

 

Sweeping one of his legs under himself he fell back so he was no longer kneeling, and leaned heavily up against the door as he continued to hold his hand delicately. Letting his head fall back against the door as his eyes fell shut, trying to work through the pain that was currently masking most of his distraught emotions. It was helping keep him level, as he made sure he continued to take deep calming breaths which in turn kept him from hyperventilating in his fury.

 

Once again Sanji was at a complete loss.

 

The past two weeks had seemed like a trial from hell; each more tortuous and dangerous than the last, and now that he finally had a moment alone he had no idea what to do. The only thing that Sanji could think about was wanting to go home and get away from the other man – his lease wasn't technically up until the end of the month – however it seemed pretty obvious that Zoro didn't want Sanji to leave his sight lest he run to the cops.

 

Though that idea was currently very low on Sanji's list as he was definitely not up for calling Zoro's bluff, the thought of taking responsibility for Zoro's actions was not a welcoming notion. It seemed for the time being that he was stuck here in this psychopaths house until he could come up with a plan to negotiate his leaving, or perhaps get the man caught before he could frame Sanji. But he couldn't even begin to fathom a plan as he was still reeling from everything that had just happened.

 

It felt like a nightmare...

 

After several minutes of sitting numbly, he began testing his hand, slowly trying to curl it into a fist as the fingers initially quivered but eventually began to respond. The ache in his knuckles was still very prominent, however as he continued to extend and flex the fingers their mobility returned. Despite how much they still hurt it seemed he hadn't broken anything, which he was extremely grateful for.

 

Noting a movement out of the corner of his eye, his head snapped up to see Zoro had reappeared – the shot to the jaw not affecting him nearly as much as Sanji had hoped it would – ice pack in hand as he slowly tread over to Sanji. Dropping to a knee he kept careful eye contact with the blond as he offered pack with a gentle, yet firm hand. Sanji debated slapping it away on principle, but had a feeling that he could only get away with his childish behaviour for so long.

 

Reaching out a cautious hand, he snagged the ice without a thank you and placed it over his knuckles, immediately sighing in relief as it began numbing some of the pain. It eased it enough that he was able to once more focus on the man in front of him and his frustrating vicissitude of emotions.

 

“Calmer?” Zoro prodded flatly.

 

“Still a murderer?” Sanji shot back icily.

 

Zoro didn't rise to the bait, nor did he show any sign that the barb had affected him as he raised and lowered a shoulder in a minute shrug, head titling in a 'what do you want from me' sort of gesture. Sanji gifted the man with an unapologetic face in return – eyebrows cocking disdainfully – before turning his gaze back to his hand, intent on ignoring the other man. Zoro remained for a few moments longer before conceding to Sanji's wishes and pushing himself away, leaving Sanji alone once more to wallow in his woes.

 

Sanji sat at the base of the door as hours drifted by, long after his rear and back had begun to ache from the hardwood flooring and the ice pack on his hand had melted back to water. Head hung hopelessly as a steady stream of condensation from the pack dripped down his finger to make a puddle on the floor between his feet. Time swept away in a whirlwind of hopelessness as he desperately tried to get a reign on his miasma of emotions; to no avail.

 

Once the pain in his left hand had begun to fade to a dull ache, Sanji pushed himself wearily to his feet with his uninjured hand propped against the door behind him. Regaining his footing he began making for the living room where had heard Zoro turn on the television nearly an hour ago. Stomping into the main area, finger already raised as he intended to give the psychopath a proper piece of his mind; no longer inhibited by exhaustion and fear. Finding Zoro sitting casually in one of the lounge chairs with a newspaper in hand, the article lowered as he watched the television intently.

 

Eyes flicking to the television for only a moment, the words dying on his lips as Sanji stared in horror at the images on the screen before him, unable to take in any of the words the broadcasters and news reporters were saying as he was assaulted with the grizzly footage. Knowing Zoro had admitted to taking care of Doflamingo, but not knowing the true extent with which he did it.

 

A candid photo – taken by the person that found the man – showed a disturbing display of the body with a near inhuman amount of blood surrounding the corpse. Garnet streaked the walls in vicious splatters and lashes, and even more was sprayed across the furniture in sickening gushes, a large pool formed on the floor beneath the man.

 

The body in question had been expertly rigged up off the floor with rope – rope Sanji recognized with sickening accuracy – each wrist wrapped in the woven strands that kept the corpse upright in an eerie replica of a human marionette. Ankles too had ropes knotted around them as the tips of his polish shoes just barely trailed across the blood soaked floor.

 

Clothes hanging from the body in shreds as the amount of blood made it almost impossible to discern what was flesh or bone. Slashes tearing the skin asunder and meaty chunks of muscle could be seen from with the gouges; organs and bones peeked out from deeper wounds. There was hardly anything meticulous about this murder; it was pure rage.

 

“He deserved what he got.” Zoro stated simply, folding the newspaper he had been reading in half and dropping it down on the coffee table with a smack before striding from the room. Sanji watched him go weakly before turning back to the television and covering his mouth with a trembling hand.

 

Zoro... Zoro had done that...

 

For him.

 

It was all Sanji's fault. He had been the one that had gotten himself into this mess, he had been the one that had needed saving, and he had been the one to call Zoro and beg for his help. Whether or not he had actually done it, his hands were stained with the blood of the man on the screen before him.

 

Sanji continued to watch the report in horror as it was revealed that all of the security footage – and all electronic communications with the man – had somehow been expertly erased. Police were desperately trying to recover footage from the mansions security cameras with no luck, and all contacts with him within several months had been wiped clean. As Sanji continued to watch he realized with dreadful realization that if he were to look in his pack that the USB he had put in there was most likely missing too.

 

Not only had Zoro stolen Sanji's pack, but he had used everything in it kill Doflamingo. Sanji's initial anger came back at full force as he became indignant over the man's bravado and assumption. What was he trying to prove; was he mocking Sanji?!

 

Legs trembling, he managed to spin on his heel and chase after the man as his rage had become two fold. It had been one thing to be faced with the murders the man had committed, but to stand and experience one that had just taken place was another thing entirely. And to know that it was done not because the man had selected him, but simply because of Sanji had the blond's stomach aching painfully.

 

“WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!” Sanji bellowed as he rounded the corner into the kitchen, stalking down the other man and barely restraining himself from curling his hands in Zoro's shirt and shaking him. Instead he got as close as he could to the other man while seething through gritted teeth, “Who the _fuck_ are you?!”

 

Zoro remained unfazed, only leaning back slightly so they were no longer nose-to-nose before blinking back at Sanji lazily and responding flatly, “Nothing happened; this is me.”

 

“Bullshit!” Sanji spat, jabbing the man in the chest viciously, “I remember a gentle man; a caring man, a concerned man... A man who loved me!”

 

“I still do.”

 

“Like I give a shit!” Sanji raged hysterically, pulling back far enough so he could throw his hands into the air in his frustration, “All I am is another pawn to you; everything you ever told me was a fucking lie!”

 

“There were things I didn't tell you,” Zoro admitted heavily, “And my motives at the beginning may have been wrong, but everything else was real for me.”

 

“SHUT UP!” Sanji screamed savagely, hating every time those poisonous words left the other man's lips, “You have me bound to secrecy under threat of being responsible for _your_ crimes, locked in here like a fucking prisoner! You're no better than _him!”_

 

A flicker of pure vexation flashed across Zoro's eyes before falling away with a wave of indifference, casting a glance towards the living room where the television could still be heard broadcasting more details on the gruesome murder. Levelling his gaze on Sanji as he flicked his head in the direction of the newscasters voice, “I did that for you.”

 

“No one asked you to!” Sanji balked furiously.

 

“Yes,” Zoro frowned and stared at Sanji pointedly, “you did.”

 

Sanji's aggression faltered as he fumbled momentarily over the truth of Zoro's words, they both knew exactly what Zoro was referring to, and Sanji wished with all his might he could take that phone call back. Hands balling regretfully at his sides Sanji muttered quietly, “I didn't mean like that...”

 

“What does it matter; you can go back to your life like none of this has happened.” Zoro explained simply, “He's gone; you're free.”

 

A derisive laugh forced itself bodily from Sanji as he nearly howled with disparaging laughter at the other man's words, the ridiculousness of them finally causing Sanji to snap. Recovering long enough to jeer sarcastically, “You're _joking,_ right?!”

 

Zoro gave a simple shrug, not the least bit perturbed by Sanji's mockery.

 

“I mean I can't...” Sanji began in disbelief as he realized he could technically go back to his old life now. Without a debt to repay he was now free; as free as you could be when living with a serial killer – but free nonetheless. He could go back to his old job, could start going to University, and could even see all of his friends again. Though as he had learned from a very young age; everything had a price, and Sanji's freedom now cost his silence over the truth about the murder victims plastered all over the news. “How could I ever--”

 

“You're good at keeping secrets,” Zoro surmised with a knowing grin, taking a step around the flustered blond and making his way out of the kitchen, “I'm sure you'll think of something.”

 

Sanji remained floored by Zoro's words and what the man was expecting of him; while true, Sanji had never kept a secret like this before, and he didn't want to. Though how was it fair for him to differentiate between keeping the secrets of an embezzler or a murderer; both should be held accountable for their heinous actions. Zoro had been right about one thing; what he had done had been heartless.

 

“What did you think was going to happen?” Sanji asked hopelessly, turning to watch as the man turned back to look at the blond at the same moment. A brow raising curiously at Sanji as the blond continued, “After you helped me were you just going to pretend you hadn't done that to him; were you going to keep lying? Or did you think I'd somehow be okay with all of this?”

 

Zoro stood calmly at the doorway to the kitchen, body partly turned to address Sanji as his hands remained casually tucked into his pockets. Eyes boring uncomfortably into Sanji as he seemed to be calculating his own response, not even a flicker of emotion coming across his face for several long moments.

 

“I don't know.” Zoro finally admitted, showing the first bit of sincerity he had all day as his gaze fell to the floor critically, “I haven't really had a plan since I realized I couldn't kill you...”

 

Sanji wasn't sure exactly how he was supposed to feel from those words – neither romantic or flattering – but as Zoro turned to leave the room, Sanji launched forward instinctively. Hand closing around the other man's thick wrist, trying desperately to ignore the comforting warmth radiating from it as he glared up at the man seriously as he turned to look back at the blond in mild surprise.

 

“Will you stop?” Sanji asked shortly, hardly trusting to hope, but desperate nonetheless.

 

Zoro's lips twitch down for an iota of a second – and Sanji could swear for a moment he saw a shimmer of remorse in those black eyes – before it was replaced with a shadow of mild sadness. Eyes falling to Sanji's hand and the hold it had on him as he shook his head minutely and muttered almost regretfully, “No.”

 

Sanji's hand trembled in barely concealed frustration at the confession, fingers slowly unfurling as he began to curl in on himself once more. It had been foolish to expect otherwise, but even if he wasn't able to make it right for the victims, he had foolishly hoped he could at least stop future ones from taking place. Hands coming up to hold his arms around himself he jumped instinctively as he saw Zoro's hand reaching for him.

 

The hand froze near Sanji's cheek and the blond fought down his wince of nervousness to jerk his face out of the man's blood-stained reach. There was a reflection of sorrow in his eyes, but Sanji couldn't find even an ounce of pity for the man as he kept his head turned to the side lividly.

 

“I don't want to have to hurt you.” Zoro murmured simply, hand falling away slowly. “Just remember what I said.”

 

“Fuck off.” Sanji spat coldly, keeping his arms crossed over himself as he shied away from the other man. Sanji didn't know what games the man was playing, nor if he thought that Sanji would sit idly by as he was forced to live the rest of his life under the tyranny of this psychopath. As far as Sanji was concerned their past relationship was over; regardless of his still conflicting feelings.

 

Zoro turned to leave and Sanji watched him shrewdly, not daring to lower his scowl until the man had entirely left the room and he was standing alone in the kitchen. Hands slowly lowering from his chest he kept his eye trained on the entrance as he finally decided on a plan.

 

~X~

 

Outside the sky was still painted black as the sun had yet to rise, the distant hum of a car skimming through the town could be heard as Sanji found himself wide awake in bed next to Zoro. The man in question sleeping calmly beside him, back to Sanji as his large frame rose and fell with deep exhales that reassured Sanji to the legitimacy of his current state of unconsciousness.

 

Sitting calmly in bed he tried to control his raging heart beat, leaning his back up against the head board as his hands remained gently folded in his lap. Sleep had been eluding him for several days since he had decided what to do about Zoro, and it was almost laughable that such a simple, everyday task was now the ultimate luxury to the blond. Though despite how worn his mind was, his fear kept him more than awake as the simple thought of dropping his guard around the man currently sleeping beside him was too terrifying to imagine.

 

Sure, Zoro had claimed that he would never harm Sanji, but how long would it take the psychopath to grow bored with him and decide against his previous notions of 'love'. As Sanji slept, Zoro could easily wake up and decide he no longer cared for the blond; then suffocate him to death with his pillow. It was thoughts like these that had him sitting up right, unable to even contemplate sleeping as Zoro rested beside him.

 

Beyond his simple, egotistical fears of being killed, there was in fact a much larger horrification that was also keeping him from falling asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, or even times when he didn't, the images of those poor people's bodies would flash behind his eyes and he would become sick. Sick at the notion of what had happened to them, sick that he was currently sharing the bed with the man that had done all of those unspeakable things.

 

Those hands.

 

Those hands that had touched and caressed him, cared for him, made him feel such intense pleasure he was sure he would die. Had also been the hands that had brutally murdered innocent people; slit their throats, choked them, buried them. They had been responsible for skinning that young boy and stuffing him full of straw and leaving him in some field like a deranged scarecrow. They had been responsible for strapping the corpse of a man to the underside of a truck. For stuffing the shredded bits of a young boy inside a marionette. Every time he looked at himself he saw the places those exact same hands had touched him and reeled nauseously.

 

Sanji felt filthy.

 

Every inch of his skin felt tainted in a way that no amount of soap and water could wash away. It was like looking at his body through a black light and seeing the highlighted areas where Zoro had touched him; bitten him there, cut him there, stroked him there. His entire body felt like a crime scene.

 

All he wanted to do was crawl out from his flesh, claw as much of the filth and memory away from his bones until he could look at himself and not feel sick and disgusted. It was a pain deep in his gut that had him itching to wriggle out of himself and run as far away from the evidence of what he had let Zoro do to him and what they had done together. But no matter how hard he tried, the experiences with Zoro were practically tattooed on his skin for him to constantly be reminded and it made him sick to his stomach.

 

Closing his eyes Sanji took a moment to centre himself and shake off the skittering, unsettling feeling along his arms as he turned to inspect Zoro once more. Zoro had fallen asleep about two hours ago and Sanji was still trying to wrack up the courage to move. Knowing that the slightest off movement could awaken the man and probably ruin his good mood. Sanji didn't know how much leeway he had with the man but he didn't want to test it and get himself killed.

 

The thought alone had him shuddering once more in a terrible mixture of disgust and fear.

 

Very cautiously he grabbed the edge of the blanket, pulling it back to slowly reveal one of his legs, and then the other. Once enough of the fabric was removed Sanji tested the waters by slowly sliding one of his legs towards the edge of the bed. Stilling in cold fear as he felt Zoro shift slightly from his side of the bed, a deep sigh leaving the man before falling silent once more.

 

Sitting poised on the edge, Sanji remained frozen for several long moments, waiting for Zoro's breathing to even out once more before edging his other foot out onto the floor as well. It took another few minutes for Sanji to get the courage to stand up, and when he finally did it was met with nothing but silence and a lack of motion from Zoro's side of the bed. Letting out a long, quiet breath Sanji steeled himself and cautiously made for the bathroom.

 

Not bothering to deal with the noise of closing the door, he made his way to the sink, pausing with remorse as he realized he couldn't wash his face lest the running water wake Zoro. Instead he placed his hands heavily on the marble counter and looked up at his reflection in the mirror.

 

Looking himself over; he felt sick.

 

Everything about him looked wrecked. From the hollowness in his eyes from the constant fear and the bags under them from the lack of sleep, to the faint bruises and scars from weeks ago littering every inch of his body in a painful reminder of whom he belonged to. Eyes finally falling on the large discoloured bruise running along the knuckles of his left hand, he couldn't help but chuckle lightly at how much his life had spiralled out of control in these past few months.

 

It didn't matter to Sanji anymore. Whether or not Zoro could frame him at each one of the murder sites or whether he would be locked in prison until he rotted. Or the fact that he could return to his old life as long as he kept Zoro's horrible secret; he wouldn't allow himself to be controlled by Zoro like this any longer. This game had gone on long enough and he wanted out. This was him throwing in the towel and claiming sanctuary.

 

Making his way cautiously out to the bedroom once more he snatched up his discarded jeans and hoodie, and snuck from the room quietly. Out in the safety of the living room he quickly pulled on his pants, doing up the button and zip with as little sound as possible before pulling on his hoodie with a nervous glance towards the doorway. When no movement could be heard he tiptoed over to the front door, turning the knob as slow as he possibly could.

 

When the bolt clicked quietly, it sounded like the loudest thing to ever happen in Sanji's presence and the blond watched the hallway leading to Zoro's room with bated breath. Once again when nothing happened, Sanji tested his luck and began opening the door. Slipping out, he closed it with the same amount of caution and was soon standing out in the dead hallway, with his shoes unlaced and his hair a mess.

 

With a thick, relieved swallow he turned and made his way down the hall to the elevator, taking it to the ground floor and then outside. Remaining calm and casual to not draw any unwanted attention to himself. Despite how badly he wanted to run, despite wanting to start running from the man and never look back; he instead crossed his arms and forced himself to continue on at a normal pace. Before long he found a bus stop, debating whether or not to stand out and wait for it – and potentially leave himself a sitting duck for Zoro – or to keep moving.

 

It was quickly decided to keep moving as Sanji began to hurriedly think over the plan he had concocted over the past couple days while stuck at Zoro's. Disappearing from Zoro's bed had easily marked him for suspicion, or worse, being framed for all the other murders; so now that he had made his move there was no going back. The only potential option was to say he wanted to take a walk, but even he knew Zoro wasn't foolish enough to fall for such an idiotic ploy.

 

However, sticking around to find out what Zoro might do was not in Sanji's cards which meant staying in the city was obviously out of the question. When he had been at the peak of his scamming career he had always had a back up plan for leaving the country at a moments notice in case he got himself in too deep, and while this wasn't exactly what he had thought he would initially be running from, he would certainly categorize it as 'in too deep'.

 

Sanji had spent the week mentally tallying how much money he had saved away, and planned to catch an early flight out of the city that morning. All he needed to do now was grab his money, some clothes, and his passport; he could be in France, or New Zealand by tomorrow and far away from Zoro and this whole, horrible life.

 

He'd already quit his job, and said good bye to his friends thanks to the whole Doflamingo debacle, so he really had nothing left keeping him here. It would hardly make a difference anyway if he was going to be framed as a serial killer. All of his old friends would want absolutely nothing to do with him and his life in this country would be over. The only thing that could possibly secure his freedom was Zoro getting caught, which was almost impossible when the man literally had everyone under his thumb.

 

In his apartment he barely spared a remorseful glance around the place before running to the bags he had left packed in the bedroom, grabbing a small duffel bag and backpack. Haphazardly he tore some spare clothes from one of his suitcases into the bag before doing the same with some hygienic items before zipping up the duffel with finality. There was no time for sentimentality, he simply needed what he'd need to survive until he got somewhere safe.

 

After calling a cab on his cell, he hurried into the living room, kicked back the rug, and shakily ran his trembling hands along the borders until he found the tiny nick he was able to hook his fingernail under. Popping the board out as his life savings were revealed beneath, several paid off credit cards that he had made for travel purposes, as well as layers of wrapped bills from his years of blackmailing.

 

Dropping his backpack into the hole he began shovelling the spare cash into it, shoving the spare credit cards into his wallet before grabbing hold of the small tin that was left at the bottom. Quickly putting in the lock code he opened the lid and rustled through the random miscellaneous items; grabbing the several important documents that he needed such as his birth certificate, and passport. And finally, the gun.

 

It seemed superfluous since he was heading to the airport, but until he had a ticket and was ready to go through customs he wasn't going to let his guard down. Standing with his pack over his back and duffel over his shoulder, Sanji kicked the board back in place and lazily throwing the carpet back over the floor. Without a backward glance he made his way out of the apartment and down to the lobby where the cab he had called was already waiting for him. As he saw the yellow vehicle idling out on the street a feeling of relief washed over him for the first time in days and he ran the rest of the way down the walkway.

 

Throwing open the back door he tossed his bags inside before jumping in after them, slamming the door and locking it for good measure as he turned to the cab driver and pleaded, “Um... Seattle Airport please?”

 

“Right away.” The portly man grunted, tipping his hat and hitting the timer to turn it on before accelerating the small vehicle with perhaps a little too much vigour. Sanji chose to ignore it as he didn't bother doing up his seat belt, turning to rest his cheek against the cool glass of the window and try to calm his still piqued nerves.

 

“Yeah,” The man nodded solemnly despite not being prompted by Sanji, “Seen a lot o' young men an' women like you in my day. Runnin' away like this; tryin' ta forget their problems.”

 

Sanji's eyes flicked to the rear view mirror not bothering to ask what about him gave it away and instead let his eyes slide shut as he fought back a derisive laugh at the man's words. Whatever problems those other people had been running from couldn't even hold a candle to the hell that he was currently trying to escape.

 

“Too true.” The cabby muttered, not in the least deterred despite Sanji's lack of participation in the conversation, “But I suppose I ain't one ta judge...”

 

Sanji opted for ignoring the talkative cabby, resting his elbow on the window sill of the door and cracking his eyes open to stare out into the early morning traffic. Pretty sparse so far since the six o'clock rush hadn't currently started up yet, though a few early risers were already out. Still dark however as the sun had yet to rise and you couldn't tell if it was only a few hours past dusk or a few hours until morning.

 

They pulled up to a red light, the car softly rolling to a halt as a car pulled up in the lane next to theirs. Eyes already glazing Sanji dully looked up at the fellow car; a calm, quiet moment falling over the cab as he locked eyes with the other driver. Jaw falling open to let out a silent scream of panic; the fear that gripped him so intense it had his blood running like ice and his stomach seizing painfully in under a second flat.

 

Lungs completely useless as he locked eyes with the dark ones that had haunted his dreams and currently his life for the past few months. A long still moment passed before that familiar grin split across the face and finally had Sanji crying out in fear, jarring away from the window in a combination of fear and shock.

 

“HOLY MARY MOTHER O' GOD!” The cabby screeched in retaliation, looking back at Sanji widened eyes, “Wha' the bleedin' 'ell are you screamin' for?!”

 

Sanji's pulse was racing to the point his temples hurt, chest threatening to bust open from the strength of his heart beats, and his breathing coming in sharp gasps as he found himself plastered to the far side of the vehicle, arms propped against the window and seat back as his hands shook uncontrollably. Adrenaline was thriving through his veins in a torrent and it gave him the courage to look back up at the car to meet the driver that had previously had Zoro's image.

 

Instead he was met with the presence of a woman in the other car that was completely unaware of Sanji's previous screaming. Her tired eyes locked on the road as one hand grasped the wheel and the other cradled a coffee in her finely manicured hand, waiting for the light to turn green.

 

“N-nothing.” Sanji mumbled jumpily as he forced himself to once more take a normal seat in the cab, “Sorry.”

 

“You sure 'bout tha' boy?!” The cabby groused as the light turned green and he was forced to face forward as he took off down the road, “You were screechin' like tha' hounds o' hell were tryin' ta nab ya.”

 

“Might as well be.” Sanji grumbled in annoyance, dropping his head into his hands and rubbing at his face vigorously to try and fight off the fright he had just undergone. Clearly the lack of sleep was making him lose his mind – seeing things and hallucinating – he could hardly remember the last time he had had a good night's sleep without waking every hour in a cold sweat.

 

After a few more minutes of driving with the cabby monologuing about how Sanji's screaming had been bad for his arrhythmia Sanji decided he might as well try and get some sleep before his flight. Resting his head against the window he slowly closed his eyes and decided that perhaps a short nap for the rest of the drive was probably desperately needed.

 

~X~

 

“Oi. Wake up, sleepyhead.” A voice grumbled in Sanji's ear, a hand gripping his arm as he was gently shaken.

 

“Alright, I'm--” Eyes blearily opening, he expected to see the cabby leaning over from the drivers seat waking him to let him know they were almost at the airport. Instead he was met with a face that had his words dying in his throat and his limbs going from lax to steel tense in under a second flat.

 

Mouthing wordlessly around his response he stared back at dark eyes and stark emerald hair of Zoro, turned casually in the driver's seat to face the back, one arm propped on the seat back as the other braced against the steering wheel. The silence stretched out minutely before Zoro arched a sharp eyebrow in question at the look of horror on Sanji's face.

 

“Problem?” Zoro asked pointedly, the touches of a smirk playing around the edges of his lips as Sanji took in a shuddering breath and launched himself at the passenger door, struggling with the handle with panicked, shaking hands.

 

Throwing open the door to the cab he hurled himself onto the sidewalk thankful that the cab had been stopped at a red light at an intersection. Foot catching on the seat belt he tumbled from the cab in mess of limbs, distantly feeling the sting of his palms sliding on the pavement. The pain barely registered, especially not when his fear had adrenaline pumping through his system at a dramatic rate that was causing everything else to be put in the back seat for the moment.

 

Pushing himself up off the wet asphalt he took off down the street, ignoring the confused shouting of the cabby he had left behind. Backpack bouncing on his back he continued to run, not sure where to but certainly not willing to sit vulnerably in that cab; hallucination or not. The airport was only a couple miles away, he'd make it there eventually.

 

As he rounded a street corner to continue down the long stretch of boulevard toward the airport a dark shape darted out of the alleyway to his right. The figure lurched violently, arm extended in a viciously cocked punch as Sanji tried desperately to dig his heels into the cement to keep from running into the attack. Though it all happened too fast; skidding into the man's path at the same moment that strong fist connected directly with his nose with a sickening crunch.

 

Sanji lay on the wet asphalt, groaning as he felt the blood already pooling in the back of his throat as his hands gently cradled his nose. Pain blossoming from where the assailant had managed to catch him across the face, only vaguely noticing as the man came to loom over him. Squinting up through watery eyes, his fear redoubled as the same taunting face could be seen glaring down at him.

 

Shutting his eyes he desperately wished that this was just another hallucination, possibly a mugger wanting his backpack, or maybe even one of Teach's men wanting payback for fighting them. Anything, anyone, but the man that he kept envisioning everywhere. A garbled sob shook his frame, blood gurgling in the back of his throat as he wished that whomever it was leaning over him was anyone but the one man he thought it was.

 

When nothing immediately happened Sanji slowly cracked his eyes open, but unlike other times where the hallucination had vanished, this time it hadn't. The green-haired man continued to stand over him, face expressionless as he seemed to be waiting for Sanji to recover and look at him before a wide grin split his face.

 

“Naughty.” Zoro tsked in disapproval, shaking his head minutely at Sanji before a dark look slid over his features and he was leaning down. Hands tangling in the front of Sanji's jacket before he was bodily hauled to his feet by the larger man.

 

Dangling pathetically, feet barely able to graze the ground as Zoro levelled him with a look of disdain, mouth down turned as his once warm eyes were almost black in his unsettling fury. Hands twisting their grip tighter he pulled Sanji in until they were nose to nose, Zoro's hot breath ghosting over the drying blood on Sanji's lips and making it feel moist once more. The tang of copper on his tongue from the blood dripping from his undoubtedly broken nose.

 

Sanji frowned in disgust at the taste before Zoro shook him bodily, snapping Sanji's attention back as he hissed, “Thought you could leave without me noticing?”

 

Sanji didn't say anything, couldn't say anything. As he hung pained and beaten in Zoro's grip, all the life and fight in him left in an instant. No matter how hard he fought, no matter how hard he tried to run; Zoro was somehow always just a step ahead of him. Always able to block Sanji's path and keep him trapped like an animal. So Zoro's words fell on deaf ears as the blond could only limply hang in Zoro's grip as the reality of how helpless and alone he truly was sunk in.

 

“HUH?!” Zoro grunted, shaking Sanji furiously as he tried to force an answer from the blond. Sanji only remained limp, despite the angered shakes of the man, “Answer me!”

 

“Tried.” Sanji finally grunted out quietly, word distorted by his broken nose and the blood currently gurgling in the back of his throat. His pack was beginning to slip from his shoulders but he hardly cared at this point; all the money in the world couldn't make a difference; couldn't possibly save him.

 

“Going to the cops?” Zoro crooned, “Gonna tell them your pitiful little story?”

 

Not wanting to be hit or shaken again, Sanji slowly shook his head. A low growl of anger rumbled in Zoro's chest as he turned and slammed Sanji up against the nearby wall with an unnecessary amount of force that had the back of his skull singing in pain and his ears ringing loudly.

 

“Don't lie to me.” Zoro hissed quietly, but his words trailed off somewhat as he noted Sanji's pack keeping him from pinning Sanji fully to the brick wall. The look of dawning realization had Sanji shrinking even further into himself as he braced for whatever Zoro was going to do in angered retaliation.

 

However no pain or angered words were directed his way, only sharp barking laughter as Zoro seemed to take true delight in the fact that Sanji had been trying to flee the city. There were few times in his life that laughter had never not been enjoyable to him, and as Zoro's mocking bark of a laugh echoed in his ears; it was the third time in his life he felt ill at someone else's enjoyment.

 

When Zoro finally calmed down he readjusted his pinching grip on Sanji's clothes and leaned in menacingly, “You can't escape me.”

 

Zoro pulled away, watching Sanji calmly as a slowly building smirk began to spread across Zoro's face, revealing pearly white teeth and gums as he began to chuckle lightly. Sanji only stared back uselessly as Zoro pulled his arm back, hand slowly closing into a fist before he grunted while bringing the arm down. The last thing Sanji remembering was the painful stark feeling of hard knuckles to his temple, a resounding crack that sounded distant, and then the blackness that engulfed not only his vision but his consciousness as well.

 

~X~

 

Waking probably wasn't the term Sanji would apply to his current condition upon blinking away his latent unconsciousness. To rouse from sleep was nothing to how he felt as he practically had to drag himself away from the pleasantness of his subconscious to be faced with the nauseating reality.

 

Temples first – throbbing with an incessant persistence – had a small groan of pain slipping from between swollen lips. Eyelids were next, heavy with fatigue, and even more so with the swollen heat of the black eye he was sporting thanks to a rather well placed punch to the corner of his face. It was a struggle getting his eyelids to flicker open, but eventually the darkness subsided and the hazy shapes of the room came into focus; the soft charcoal carpet, warm sunflower-yellow wallpaper that he was intimately familiar with, and the wavering cyan drapes that bordered the slightly fogged window that revealed the still dark city skyline visible from Zoro's apartment.

 

Another couple blinks to rid himself of the last vestiges of his altered eyesight, shaking his head in a futile attempt to possibly shake off the pain and vertigo causing things to continually spin in his vision. When things were beginning to become clearer he chanced a glance around the room, noting no movement as he looked as far behind himself as his stiff neck would allow. Empty, silent room that had Sanji on edge as he turned back and finally noted the immobile figure in the corner of the room watching him through dark, hooded eyes.

 

Jerking in surprise Sanji nearly toppled the high-back office chair he was situated in as he locked eyes with the man that had by some unknown means managed to track him down and knock him out. Had Zoro managed to sneak a tracking device on him at some point, had the man been following his movements for a while now? Eyes widening visibly he realized he'd had his phone on him the whole time; surely Zoro hadn't been tracking it?

 

“How did you find me?” Sanji managed out, choking back the pain mingling in his words, still unable to fathom how the man could have located him, “There's no possible way.”

 

Zoro remained thoughtfully silent, face emotionless and hands clasped as his eyes pierced Sanji with an intensity that was unsettling. It took all of Sanji's control not to fidget under that gaze; to rub at his knuckles nervously, to dart his eyes to some other source, or to swallow thickly to try and rid himself of the taste of fear. Instead he focused solely on steadying his breathing as he watched Zoro silently and waited for the man to reply.

 

If the man was impressed in any way he did not show it, however it seemed that he sensed Sanji's internal battle and at least gained some amusement from it because the stoic expression fell away as a sharp smile crooked the man's face. Shadowed, dangerous eyes as lethal as ever, but the perfect, white line of teeth revealed seemed almost playful.

 

“It's just as I told you Sanji.” Zoro crooned smoothly as he strode forward gracefully, head cocking to the side as he seemed to contemplate Sanji, “You can't escape me.”

 

A hollow terror formed a pit deep in Sanji's stomach at those words as he found his previous fiery resilience fading at an alarming rate. Everything from these past two weeks had tested the limits of his willpower, and from the mess with Doflamingo to now this; he had jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

 

He wanted to give up.

 

After all the hell he had been through the past couple weeks – this roller coaster of visceral emotions – he wanted it all to end; he was tired of fighting, tired of being frightened, tired of everything. If he simply gave up and let the rest of his life be controlled by this psychotic man; would it really be so bad?

 

But...

 

Sanji had never been a quitter. His whole life was a monumental testament to his ability to persevere and over come impossible obstacles and obstinate challenges others would have paled at. He'd been willing to sacrifice everything to get out of Doflamingo's clutches, and if he had to do the same with Zoro then it shouldn't be an issue either. Conflicting emotions aside he wasn't going to let himself get pushed around anymore, he'd get Zoro out of his way regardless if he got taken down as well.

 

Sanji's eyes flicked swiftly to his packsack and back up at Zoro, hoping the man wouldn't notice the small nervous movement. The bag was several feet away, slumped near the wall where Zoro had obviously torn it from Sanji's unconscious body and tossed aside when he had dragged Sanji in here. Hopefully he had been too distracted to notice all the money in the bag, along with the gun Sanji was desperately wishing he could grab.

 

If he could just get to the gun without Zoro stopping him, then he would have a clear advantage. Not only would he be able to defend himself against Zoro's enraged ravings, but also, maybe, be able to coerce the man into staying still until Sanji could phone the cops so they could come and get the man. But none of that would happen without the gun and it was currently closer to Zoro than it was to him, and it seemed like a risky move.

 

Zoro seemed to sense Sanji was planning on doing something, eyes narrowing harshly as he undoubtedly noticed the way Sanji had sat forward slightly in his seat, his body had tensed and he was most likely sweating nervously. They had spent enough time together – sexual and not – that Zoro was unequivocally experienced in Sanji's body movements and ticks that gave him away. It would practically be impossible to belie his body language and fool the man, but he had to at least try.

 

Tongue darting out to wet his parched, trembling lips, his gaze locked with Zoro and for a tense moment a minutia of understanding passed between them. Sanji could read the warning in those eyes, narrowing marginally as they dared Sanji to follow through on what he was planning, and who only knew what the man was reading in Sanji's gaze in return. It was now or never, lest Zoro decided to tie him down to prevent any further scheming.

 

Darting forward, the chair skidded backwards harshly as he lunged for the bag slumped by the wall at the same moment Zoro launched toward Sanji, intent on stopping him. The next few movements happened in the span of a few seconds as Sanji skidded across the floor on injured knees from falling on the asphalt, as Zoro's hand tangled in the back of Sanji's shirt. The blond sunk a hand into the top of the bag, hand furling around the handle of the Glock at the same moment the neckline of his shirt cut into his throat and gagged at the force in which his jugular was crushed.

 

Another second as he was jerked back onto his rear and turned to face Zoro as his arm was pulled from the bag while he fell backwards, arm coming around to point the gun directly at Zoro's forehead as Zoro's free arm came down on Sanji's throat in an iron grip. Neither moved as they remained frozen together; Zoro lunged over Sanji's sprawled figure, gun to head and hand to throat as they both breathed heavily to recover from the tense moment.

 

Eventually when Sanji managed to calm his fearful gasps he hardened his gaze and bit around tightened teeth, “Let go of me; there's no way you'll win this.”

 

Sanji saw the spark of challenge glint excitedly in the man's black eyes and for moment Sanji was fearful Zoro was going to take him up on his bluff. Surely with Zoro's training he could easily steal the gun from Sanji's grip, not that Sanji wouldn't give in without a fight, but with a hand at his throat and the potential of wrestling Zoro for a gun it didn't look in his favour. However, Zoro seemed to weigh his options as well, and oddly enough the shimmer dimmed from his eyes as he fractionally loosened his grip on Sanji.

 

An innocent smile breaking out across his face before removing his hands altogether, raising them in a sign of surrender as he slowly pushed himself to his feet. Backing away a few steps to give Sanji his space as the blond watched him cautiously, wondering exactly what his game was. Zoro wasn't one to give up easily, if he was doing this he definitely had some sort of plan going on in that devious head of his.

 

Swallowing thickly, Sanji placed his free hand on the ground behind himself, not lowering his gun from where it was trained on the other man as he slowly pushed himself to his feet. Carefully watching each step as he circled back around until he was once more in the middle of the room, gun locked on Zoro as the man stood with his back near the far wall, hands slinking almost too casually into his pockets as he watch Sanji.

 

“What now?” Zoro asked dryly, entirely too calm for their current situation and far too relaxed for what Sanji could currently do to the man. Despite how simple the question, it was essentially loaded with an insurmountable amount of variables that Sanji could hardly begin assessing.

 

Sanji could end it all right here and now and shoot the man. Deal with his own demons and the evil haunting this city once and for all. Or he could let Zoro go; Sanji could escape, and Zoro could continue his demented lifestyle. Or they could go to the cops immediately. Despite the option Sanji knew he desperately wanted to take, he steeled himself as he knew for once in his life he had to do the right thing.

 

“We're going to the police,” Sanji finally managed stiffly, readjusting his grip on the gun to further steady his aim at the other man. Sweaty hand causing the metal in his palm to itch uneasily, “You're going to admit to what you've done, and you're going to be out of my life for good.”

 

“Mm. No. I don't think so.” Zoro hummed carelessly, as Sanji scowled and choked down the urge to snarl outright as the man continued, “You're making it sound like I'm going to go willingly.”

 

Sanji lunged forward with an aggressive stomp as he jerked the gun in Zoro's direction and seethed, “Yeah, well you're not in the position to be negotiating. And unless you want your brain splattered on the fucking wallpaper then you're going to shut up for once and listen to me!”

 

Zoro only blinked calmly, unfazed by Sanji's outburst and clearly not impressed in the slightest by Sanji's attempt at machismo. Instead he locked eyes with Sanji, dark amber boring into Sanji's with unwavering confidence as he murmured tauntingly, “Do it.”

 

“Wha--” The disbelief gushed out of Sanji's mouth before he even realized his own shock, his eyes widening in horror as Zoro so blatantly called his bluff.

 

Gun beginning to shake in his quivering grip as Zoro took a step forward, still unblinkingly locked with Sanji's gaze as he loomed, “Shoot me; if you even have the resolve.”

 

Sanji found his sure grip faltering as his arm lowered slightly and his hand began trembling, watching Zoro's taunting gaze with slowly dawning terror. He knew Zoro would be strong headed and stubborn but he truly hadn't expected the man to walk straight towards the loaded gun in his hand without a batted eye.

 

“Pull the trigger.” Zoro goaded calmly, “Do what you've wanted to do all along.”

 

“No.” Sanji spat shakily, “I'm not like you.”

 

“Come now, Sanji.” Zoro drawled exasperatedly, “We've had _this_ conversation before.”

 

“We're leaving,” Sanji managed back stiffly, raising his chin in defiance as he levelled Zoro with a resolute glare, “Now.”

 

“I'm not going anywhere.” Zoro seethed as he launched forward, Sanji taking a reciprocating step backwards and his hand retracted on the trigger instinctively.

 

An echo carried throughout the house with a sharp intensity that had the glass in the windows rattling faintly and a ringing resounding in Sanji's ears. The faint taste of gun powder tart in the air as Sanji tried to swallow around it, knees trembling and hand tingling as the intensity of the gun in his hand left the fingers numb. The faint vestiges of the bang faded until a stiff silence swept through the apartment, broken only by the heavy thud that hit the plush carpet in front of Sanji's feet.

 

TBC...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Haha. I love cliffhangers...


	22. The Psychopath in the Subconscious

The gun lay at Sanji's feet, heavy and forgotten as the blond still had a raised – now empty – hand extended towards Zoro in shock as he stared at the smirking man in horror. Not entirely trusting his eyes, but surely mistaken in his assumption that something had just taken place that could not be possible.

 

Zoro's aggression faded as he slipped his hands into his pockets, looking down at his chest with a bored expression at the place where the bullet had entered – where it should have entered – as though pretending to look for whatever Sanji was staring at. Peering over Zoro's shoulder he saw the large bullet hole in the wall directly behind the man, unable to fathom how it could have penetrated the wall at that point without have passing through Zoro.

 

“As I've said before Sanji.” Zoro murmured simply as he turned his gaze back unto Sanji after casting a curious glance at the damage to the wall behind himself. Snatching Sanji's numb hand out of the air by the wrist, nose drawing across the flesh of the blond's inner forearm with a reverent caress, eyes locked on Sanji, “You can't escape me.”

 

“H-How?” Sanji stuttered horrifically, his shock keeping him from responding and repulsively pulling his hand from Zoro's grip. Instead it remained slack in his hold as he finally met Zoro's gaze with thinly veiled dismay as Zoro returned the look calmly, until the corner of his lip jerked up in a smirk and his eyes glinted mischievously.

 

All at once a crippling pain lanced through Sanji's head as a sudden surge of memories had him nearly doubling over in pain. Eyes scrunching shut, knees buckling, he slammed his free hand against his forehead in a vain attempt to ease the pain as the only thing keeping him from crumpling to the ground was Zoro's hold on his wrist.

 

The headache pierced his temples jaggedly as memory after stunningly lucid memory assaulted him with a brevity that was both shocking and frightening. Each scene playing out with a familiarity that shouldn't have existed; memories that he couldn't recall happening playing out perfectly from his perspective as though he really had experienced them.

 

~

 

_It was him in the car, head against the dash board as blood steadily dripped down his nose to mix with the water pooling at his feet from the sinking car. Icy cold as he snapped upright and glanced to his left before being rendered speechless at the mangled and motionless form of his father slumped over the steering wheel. And that's the moment the memory shifted and Sanji felt like he was watching himself anew._

 

_The terrified look vanished to be replaced by a blank, calmness as Sanji turned to the glove box, pulling it open to grab the emergency window breaker. Immediately turning to break the window open and without even a look back, jumping from the car out into the freezing water of the river._

 

_Cold, wet, frothing sensations burnt at Sanji's mind until he found himself on the river bank, staring up in to the face of some woman whom was asking his name and various other questions that made no sense. Before everything became black he felt a single word leave his lips, and when he awoke in the hospital the name the nurses kept misusing towards him was remembered with chilling clarity; Zoro._

 

_~_

 

_A few years later and he's in a foster home; the surly man and flustered wife only took him in for the monthly payment that the government gave them. Sanji's starved, forced to fend for himself mostly, until the beatings start. Skinny and under fed he began parting his hair so the bangs would cover the black eyes that his foster father constantly gave him._

 

_The man is drunk and furious, as he usually got after a long day of work, self loathing manifesting itself in violent actions usually taken out on Sanji. The hand was coming down with a swiftness that was sure to leave a mark that even his hair wouldn't be able to hide from the teachers at school. Fear and unconsummated anger swelled through him as he felt utterly helpless before once again the shift took place and his exterior snapped, replaced by something primal and deeply hidden._

 

_Hand snapping out to grip the man's wrist, he can vaguely remember the feeling of the sinews grinding against bone under his palm as he levelled his foster father with a look nothing short of murderous. Eyes flashing dangerously as this other personality within him had no problem punishing the man for the things he's done. Twisting the man's hand painfully to the side he can feel the once more foreign words slip over his lips, “Don't ever touch me again.”_

 

“ _W-what do you think you're doing, brat?!” The man shouted, spittle flying from his lips as he struggled against the youth's grip, yet the fear in his words was tangible._

 

“ _I said,” Zoro's words falling from his lips, “Don't.”_

 

_Arm raised as he pulled the man's hand up along with it, “Touch.”_

 

_Raised knee, “Me.”_

 

_Slamming the man's hand down as hard as he could he connected his wrist with his knee and could feel the cracking of the delicate bones, and hear the snapping under his palm. A viscerally haunting memory as a newly born rage that didn't belong to him bellowed, “AGAIN!”_

 

_There's hysteria; the man is in tears from the pain and the woman is screaming hysterically while being of no use. Sanji's body is guided away to his room and he began methodically packing all of his things. The few days spent with that family suddenly terrified of him, and then being transferred for an unknown reason is all explained._

 

_~_

 

_Sanji is back in his old school yard, fists amateurishly raised as he's being circled by an older kid while a group surrounding them jeer excitedly. The older teenager is hardly scathed while Sanji's hair is in disarray – falling into his face – dirt mars his clothes, and some blood his trickling down his cheek from where his head had just previously connected with the ground from a rather nasty hit._

 

_He has no clue how to fight, and his lame attempts at kicking the older kid have done absolutely nothing except earn himself an even harsher beating. The boy began reeling back his fist, cocking it forward as it connected directly with Sanji's nose and sent him sprawling back on the ground as darkness enveloped his vision. Only this time the memory doesn't end; and he doesn't wake up in the nurses office being berated._

 

_Instead a primal rage surges through him and has him lurching back to his feet a moment later; blood spilling from his fractured nose as he launched at the other boy viciously. It's a flurry of savagery as this suppressed emotion finally broke to the surface and it isn't long before he's on top of the other boy._

 

_Punch after punch wailing down on him until the other child had practically gone limp and the group of kids had gone from cheering to stunned silence. Sanji is quickly torn from the other teen and dragged away before he does actually black out this time._

 

_~_

 

A horrified scream ripped itself from Sanji's throat as he brought himself back to the present where he knelt on the plush carpet as all those confusing incidents in his youth became clear. Memories that had never before existed in his mind from his childhood rising up in a wave of sterile clarity that had Sanji choking on his tongue in a panic.

 

All of the confusion making sense; of people eyeing him carefully as though _he_ were the one that was insane for such simple actions and questions when it turned out it was all in his head. Every conversation, action and question was all imagined as everyone around him was left to wonder why he had been talking to himself; why he hadn't been acting like himself. Legs feeling numb, he remained on his knees, collapsed by Zoro's feet as his very world was rocked to its core. Gasping around his dry throat as he breathed out in denial, “No...”

 

“You see...” Zoro implored with a soft smile, dropping to a knee so he could be on level with the blond. The memories picked up speed as small bits of their time together flashed before his eyes with a new perspective and the images contained only himself instead of the two of them, “I've always been there for you.”

 

_~_

 

“ _Is he hot?” Ace asked, already leaning in as Sanji pulled out his phone._

 

“ _I'd like to think so.” Sanji admitted modestly, pulling up the man's profile picture from his phone's photo album and turning it toward the black haired man; an unknown, nondescript photo of some random stranger displayed across the screen. Not at all the photo of the green-haired man he had remembered showing his co-worker as Ace let out a low whistle that was mixed with a long stream of smoke before glancing up at Sanji with a smirk._

 

_~_

 

_Sanji is in Zoro's clinic, approaching the desk as he vaguely remembered wondering if everyone working at the clinic was always so astoundingly gorgeous. Leaning against the counter slightly to get the secretary's attention as he asked politely, “Hey, is Mr. Roronoa in today?”_

 

_The secretary looked up in surprise, taking in Sanji and his question with an expression of complete confusion, eyes blinking up owlishly as though Sanji had suddenly grown a second head or something equally as abnormal. Kalifa – as her name tag read – continued to cutely stare up at Sanji as he leaned against the counter and watched her back equally as quiet. The silence continued to stretch before Sanji realized how stupid his question must have sounded._

 

“ _Sorry.” Sanji corrected quickly, “Obviously he's in. I mean can I see--”_

 

_And once again the shift over took him as he dropped his head with a muffled grunt before the innocent expression he had been holding transformed to a more serious moue. Raising his head to glance at the secretary as he sent a charming grin before gesturing vaguely at himself, “Sorry for the confusion. This is Sanji; I mentioned him to you before.”_

 

_The look of confusion was quickly replaced with clarity and she sent a understanding grin towards her boss, before correcting herself politely, “Of course. Sorry about that. I'll remember from now on.”_

 

_A relaxed smile graced Sanji's face before pushing himself away from the counter and making his way back into the office; where had been previously before Sanji had thought he had been in control of his body. The woman watching him leave with interested eyes, as the conversation Sanji and Zoro proceeded to have appeared to all take place in his head._

 

_~_

 

_Sanji's in the shower, his hands and face covered in dirt from burying the bones of the young girl, the brown murky substance trailing from his body and swirling with the water down the drain. Numbly and methodically he scrubbed the dirt and evidence from his body, neither remembering nor having control over his motions. A moment later his hand reached out to turn the tap off and he stepped out of the tub, leaving a small pile of granular dirt in the bottom of the tub._

 

_~_

 

_Sanji's outside Level 5.5; alone. A stoic expression plastered across his face as he passed by the bouncer, the man merely gave Sanji an assessing look before jerking his head and allowing him in. A flicker of confusion worked its way onto his previously impassive features as he makes to grab his wallet; his attempt quickly waved off. As he turns back to open the large steel door that was before muffling the music – now allowing the heavy, raunchy bass to come flowing out – he cast a quick glance back at the bouncer just before the door closed, long enough that he was able to catch the cheeky look sent his way. Only his way._

 

_~_

 

_Sanji made for a booth on the second floor that over looked the craziness taking place on the dance floor below; taking a seat by himself before calmly waving over a waiter with the same nonchalant behaviour Zoro had.The young, pink-haired man greeting cheerfully, “Hey, Mr. Roronoa!”_

 

“ _Yo, Coby.” Zoro's words falling from his lips as the amiable grin was now gracing his face rather than Zoro's, “How's the back?”_

 

“ _A lot better.” The young twink chuckled happily, as his complete ignorance of Sanji became horrifyingly clear, “Anyway, what can I get for ya tonight?”_

 

“ _A few beers for now, and a scotch on the rocks.” Sanji grinned, “Some shots later perhaps.”_

 

“ _Right away.” Coby perked up happily, scribbling it down on the small noted pad he had with him before making for the next tables’ orders. For the rest of the evening Sanji remained sitting alone in the booth in Level 5.5 aside from the second visit from the pink-haired boy. His words shifting in tone and stiffness as though the blond couldn't make up his mind over how he was intending to speak; Coby frowning down at him in confusion over the odd behaviour._

 

_~_

 

_Sanji's on the dance floor, grinding with the redhead, when suddenly an irate and dark look casts a shadow over his face and he's pulling away. The red head starting to defend hotly, not entirely happy about Sanji's behaviour. “I thought...”_

 

_An undignified snorted shook Sanji as he started to open his mouth to state just how sorely wrong the man was about that, when he was quickly cut off as a wave of annoyance over took him as he stepped forward challengingly. An entirely different persona controlling his actions than how he remembered._

 

“ _For the dance. Only.” Sanji gritted out, before turning away and making towards the bar as he sent a final glare back to the man left standing there completely floored by the flaky behaviour._

 

_~_

 

_Sanji's standing in the laundry room holding Zoro's wallet in his hands as he opens it to inspect whom it belongs to, pulling free the driver's license from one of the sleeves. Holding it up as he noted the information on the card; height, weight, address, and the name boldly printed across the top._

 

_**Roronoa, Zoro** _

 

_All of the information matching up to the other man perfectly, except for the photo – that had previously housed a picture of the green-haired man in Sanji's distant memory – now held simply a photo of himself. Everything in the wallet suddenly marked under a different name, but unequivocally belonging to him._

 

_~_

 

_Sanji entered the sex shop with an arrogant and stiff air that was completely foreign to his usual demeanour as Shaky glanced up and welcomed him with a companionable greeting._

 

“ _Welcome.” A smooth voiced greeted as she gave him a curt nod of acknowledgement before murmuring, “Roronoa.”_

 

_Sanji's hardened face softened in his attempt of a smile, and gave a small inclination of his head in greeting and continued into the store, occasionally muttering to himself in self directed conversation as he selected items from the shelves. When he returned to the counter to purchase everything, the conversation between him and the woman continued exactly as it had in his previous memory; except this time it was him voicing Zoro's part of the conversation._

 

_~_

 

“ _I'm spoken for.”_

 

“ _He's spoken for.” Echoes in his mind as his body is once more taken over by another force entirely, the displeased expression he remembered on Zoro's face now written across his own as he stared down Doflamingo angrily._

 

“ _Figures.” The man sighed petulantly, glancing down at his half finished drink before back up at Sanji with that unnerving look of predatory hunger, “Though I'm not surprised.”_

 

_The displeased growl that Zoro had given was this time coming from his own throat as the Dom continued playfully, “How do you feel about switching?”_

 

_Hand coming out to stroke Sanji's arm, it was swiftly caught in a vice grip by Sanji himself, fingers digging into the tendons with intent. This time the memory of the wrist in his grip was painfully clear; skin, bone, and tendons. The other man barely flinched, but he paused his motion nonetheless, watching Sanji with critical eyes; the previous playfulness all but gone._

 

“ _You do not have permission to touch.” Sanji growled threateningly, hand tightening further on the pale wrist that was inches from touching his face. Zoro's hardened voice spilling from his own seething lips, “I'd suggest you go find yourself another sub.”_

 

_The Dom scowled darkly, no longer offering a light-hearted grin as he retracted his hand from Sanji's grip with a vicious jerk and muttered threateningly, “Your Dom should do a better job at restraining you; you're far too undisciplined.”_

 

_Spinning haughtily on a polished heel, he began strutting away as Sanji scowled indignantly and took an aggressive step after him he shook his fist at the retreating figure while shouting, “I'll discipline my foot up your ass, you Truffula looking motherfucker!”_

 

_~_

 

_Sanji practically broke down the front door as he ran into Zoro's – his – clinic, he could hear the small bell that usually chimed when someone entered clang unpleasantly behind him as he rushed inside. Making for the reception desk breathlessly, sweat soaking his clothes from the sprint here._

 

“ _Kalifa! Is Dr. Roronoa in today?!” Sanji gasped heavily as he leaned against the desk perhaps a little too urgently and startled the poor woman. Kalifa looked up at him in pure bewilderment, brow drawing down as she cast a glance towards the offices of the clinic before back at Sanji._

 

“ _Um... no.” Kalifa stated slowly, enunciating her words a little too slowly, as she looked up at Sanji wearily as she worded her sentence very carefully, “_ He _doesn't work today.”_

 

“ _Oh...” Sanji muttered in disappointment, as he turns his gaze away and completely misses the scrutinizing stare of the woman whom was currently trying to gauge the odd personality within her boss._

 

“ _Sanji?” Kalifa asked carefully, eyes still wandering all over Sanji's frame as she still seemed confused by his presence, “Right?”_

 

“ _Yeah. Yeah...” Sanji mumbled absently, fingers fiddling nervously with the phone in his pocket as he still was unaware of her critical stare, “So he should be at home then?”_

 

“ _Uh, yes...” Kaifa muttered, the confusion so much more obvious now as Sanji realized why her words had been so slow and cautious, “He_ should _be, anyways.”_

 

“ _Okay.” Sanji nodded gratefully as he began backing out of the office, “Thank you!”_

 

“ _Sure.” Kalifa mumbled shortly, watching Sanji leave with that same curious expression plastered across her face; only this time Sanji understood the cause of it..._

 

~

 

Sanji remained silent, staring hollowly at the floor as the last few months of his life were being rewritten within his mind in horrifying clarity. Leaving the other memories – the false memories – a hazy shadow of their former selves as his own mind turned against him. Faster and fast they whirled before him until suddenly there is a vivid flash of his hands held out before him – just like in his dream – as long strands of garnet trailed down in sickening rivulets to fall to the blood soaked floor.

 

Eyes focusing beyond his trembling fingers to see the lifeless body of the poor young boy that had gone missing months ago, his cheerful smile replaced with a lax lips and a gaunt expression. The memories of the murders he had been responsible for began to form in his mind; the images causing his stomach to churn as Sanji was faced with the destructive reality of what he had done. What _they_ had done...

 

“I don't...” ...understand. Sanji finally managed around the thickness blocking his throat, the muscles working erratically to keep him from retching onto the floor between his splayed hands. Everything around him felt numb, his body buzzing in his manic confusion as the room began to quake under him from the weight of what he was being forced to accept.

 

“Your life was too controlled.” Zoro shrugged simply, pushing himself back to his feet as he stared down at Sanji calmly who lurched forward with a dry heave as he fought down another surge of bloody memories. A young girl in his minds eye as he stripped the flesh from her bones, knife held expertly in his dexterous hand as the memory formed from his perspective with acute detail.

 

Dancing in and out of reality, it took several moments for Zoro's words to even reach him, but when they did they had him forcing himself to look up at the man shakily. Glaring through memories of a curly-haired boy being strangled in his own hands as he murmured hoarsely, “What are you talking about?”

 

“You had every single person in the palm of your hand, could twist anything to make it work for you, everything was under your control and you hated it.” Zoro smirked tauntingly, “You wanted to be controlled, you wanted to be outsmarted, you craved having a challenge in your life.”

 

A final vivid memory of a young boy being cut into meticulous pieces forced him over the edge, hunching over with a wretched noise as acid stained his tongue and bile splattered across the carpet. World spinning, throat stinging as he took in painful gasps to try and calm himself despite the images of the tasks he had done.

 

“No. No. No.” Sanji hushed out nervously under his breath, denying Zoro's words as he still desperately tried to come up with an argument to back them. Letting out a shuddering breath Sanji shook his head vehemently as he desperately tried to wrack his brain for any other possible solution to what was happening. There had to be some other explanation, Zoro must have just been playing with him, there was no way that any of this could be happening. ”This isn't real...”

 

“Of course it is.” Zoro supplied with a roll of his eyes as Sanji reached a shaking hand up to wipe a strand saliva that hung from his lower lip, swallowing around the acrid taste in his mouth as he fought down a memory of an elder woman and the blade that he held against her unconscious throat.

 

“I wouldn't do this...” Sanji groaned as his stomach quaked again despite there being nothing else for him to hurl. A hauntingly vivid memory of his long dexterous fingers working in front of himself to strap the body of the eviscerated man to the bottom of a vehicle burning behind his eyelids, “I would never do that!”

 

“Oh?” Zoro inquired with an air of innocence, though his tone festered with something far more malicious, “Well now, we both know that's just not true, is it?”

 

“Urk...” Sanji gagged around Zoro's words as he fought against his very mind to keep the memories from resurfacing, leaning unconsciously forward in his disbelief over the words Zoro was taunting him with. Heaving as he tried to calm himself, the deep breaths only marginally managing to steady his swirling haze of horror.

 

“You scammed people of their lives, you made them miserable, and you were never once stopped.” Zoro murmured, “At first it was exhilarating – satisfying – but soon the ease of it began to annoy you.”

 

Sanji shook his head in annoyed defiance hating how the words that Zoro spoke rung true with thoughts that he had never dared think. Horrible ideas that he had buried deep down with denial to keep himself from even contemplating; and here Zoro was speaking them as though reading from a page of Sanji's mind.

 

“There was no challenge to your life.” Zoro continued as a distinct image of an older gentleman being lowered into barrel of liquid flashed across his vision, “No game.”

 

“Stop it.” Sanji murmured darkly as his panic induced anger began to swell in indignation at the words. Shaking his head desperately to rid the image from his mind, refusing to let any more in as he slowly raised his head to look up at Zoro with a tortured expression.

 

“You needed to take it to the next level.” Zoro continued with a jeer, “First; destroying lives. Second; taking them.”

 

“Shut up.” Sanji tried again, but this time the words were barely discernible on his trembling lips as he was stripped raw with the knowledge that was irrefutably being presented before him. His words practically turning to pleas as he wished that it wasn't real; that it was all a terrible nightmare.

 

“Naturally though your conscience was against the fundamentally immoral reasons behind killing another human being...” Zoro drawled out lazily, striding away from Sanji as he stared out the window calmly. And Sanji watched in slight awe and trepidation of the man currently shadowed by the streetlights outside, outlining the figure of the unnatural being. Spinning abruptly Zoro turned to face Sanji, arms open wide as he smirked down manically at the blond, “And so you used me.”

 

“No.” Sanji breathed out quietly, fear and denial flitting across his lips as he shook his head slowly, never once breaking eye contact with those sharp brown eyes. Everything he knew was becoming a lie, and he was being torn apart from the inside as he felt like he no longer recognized himself.

 

“I was the uncontrollable being you craved to be.” Zoro boasted proudly, “That you _couldn't_ be.”

 

Despite the quivering of his limbs Sanji managed the strength to get a foot under himself, and then a second as he pushed himself to a trembling stance as he stood before Zoro. Watching in awe as he tried to understand how something so real – so integral to his life – was somehow simply a figment of his imagination. Did that mean that all of his emotions were too; was his love but a facade?

 

“What about our time together?” Sanji murmured hollowly, “Everything...”

 

“It was all in your head.” Zoro supplied with a simple shrug, his tone singing with condescension, as though Sanji were a fool for not realizing it. “Though you're starting to realize that now, hm?”

 

“This...” Sanji choked out quietly, his own mind betraying him at every turn. Trying to recall upon memories that now no longer existed – replaced with other images – seeing himself sitting alone in a dark room with his eyes closed muttering to himself. Or pacing around a room carrying on two parts of a conversation aloud despite there being no one else around, “This doesn't make any sense.”

 

“You wanted your control taken away; I bound you. You wanted to take your little game to another playing field; I killed for you.” Zoro declared succinctly, “You wanted a change in your life so badly; so I _became_ you.”

 

“SHUT UP!” Sanji finally bellowed desperately, loathing every word that came from the taunting man that he was desperately trying to understand; trying to figure out how this could even be possible. At what point did he end and the other man begin; why were his memories melding into a conglomerate of lives he did not remember living?

 

Zoro stopped at that, eyeing Sanji carefully as the blond continued to rack his brain to try and understand the memories he was assaulted with and the presence of the man in front of him. The manipulative words spilling from his lips only causing Sanji further strife as he began to try and convince himself of something that didn't seem rational.

 

Who was in his body right now?

 

“Y-you're not real...” Sanji murmured the words with odd realization, despite how redundant it sounded saying it aloud, it gave him courage to continue firmly, “You're just in my head...”

 

“Or maybe...” Zoro intoned playfully, hands coming up to lightly gesture towards himself as a delighted smile danced across the man's maniacal face, “Maybe I'm the one in the body and you're just the illusion now; maybe you're the one fading into insignificance.”

 

For so long it seemed like he was living a life with this man; when it seemed that his memories were now telling him a completely different story. A story about a man that carried on talking to himself as thought he weren't alone, a man that thought he was with the person he loved when really he was being used as a puppet to kill, and a man that two lives yet only one body.

 

Was everything Sanji experienced a lie...?

 

“No...” Sanji finally breathed quietly, eyes narrowing as he glared shrewdly up at the man currently antagonizing him as his previous revelation gave him further credence. Back straightening as he squared his shoulders, matching the domineering man with an unyielding stance, “No.”

 

“No?” Zoro echoed dangerously, eyes brows climbing as he lowered his arms, his previously jesting all but vanished as he clearly was not impressed by Sanji's defiant behaviour.

 

“If you were in control then that would mean you would be struggling to keep me from regaining my body.” Sanji reasoned quietly, the thoughts he uttered occurring to him as he spoke them, “That would mean I'd be on the offensive...”

 

But that currently wasn't the situation; that had never been the case. Zoro had always been antagonizing him, always constantly on the offensive; even now Zoro was the one threatening him. Zoro was the one that had contacted him from the beginning, Zoro was the one that had kidnapped him back to his apartment, and now it was Zoro's power over him that was keeping him pinned to the spot. None of this would be happening if Zoro was in control of Sanji's body; only if he was struggling to overtake it.

 

Glancing up at Zoro with a determined glare he muttered, “But I'm not.”

 

Zoro remained silent, though from the dark glare beginning to form across his face it was clear that Zoro was livid over Sanji calling his bluff. The line of his shoulders hunching in annoyance and his fingers twitching at his sides as he seemed to be restraining himself as he observed Sanji shrewdly.

 

“You're the one attacking me.” Sanji continued as he began reaching for his pocket for the phone he knew was in it, “You're the one trying to get in.”

 

“What are you doing?” Zoro asked sharply, eyes darting to the motion of Sanji's hand warily as he slowly began making his way across the room towards Sanji. The blond hating the way his feet felt like the were melded to the floor under the other man's dominating gaze.

 

“I'm turning us in.” Sanji responded resolutely; he may not have been able to do anything when he had thought Zoro was responsible, but now that he knew the truth the answer was simple. Getting himself arrested was the only way to stop himself from doing anymore damage; to stop Zoro from doing anything else.

 

A large hand shot out, gripping his wrist in an iron grip as Sanji was immediately sent back to the numerous times those amazing hands had grabbed him the most intimate of ways. Forcing himself to remember the falsehood of those memories as he looked up at Zoro with a hardened glare and breathed out menacingly, “Let. Go.”

 

There was a small moment of hesitation before it seemed as though Zoro was unable to resist the order. Retracting his hand with obvious reluctance while watching Sanji like a beast waiting to strike. Clearly waiting for a break in Sanji's resolve so that he could dive in and take control of Sanji's body once more.

 

Sanji's arm shook as he returned to trying to pull the phone from his jeans pocket, muscles tensing in his arm as though fighting an invisible internal force that was desperately trying to keep him from his objective. As his fingers painfully closed around the device he knew it was Zoro, within him struggling to take control of his body; force him to drop the phone. Gritting his teeth he strained against it, pulling the phone from his pocket and to himself with great effort.

 

The building fury in Zoro's eyes was haunting, but Sanji ignored it as he desperately punched in the three numbers he needed to end this whole painful ordeal. As Sanji raised the phone to his ear and the ringing could faintly be heard on the other end, Zoro had become like feral beast within a cage. Pacing back and forth in front of Sanji angrily, obviously waiting for a moment to strike and tear Sanji apart.

 

After three painful rings a woman finally picked up, her honey sweet voice soothing for only a moment before she launched into an unnecessarily long scripted dialogue that was inconvenient for Sanji's impending emergency.

 

“H-Hello?” Sanji pleaded quietly into the phone, even his voice beginning to scratch painfully from the constant strain on his entire body. Even though Zoro was feet away it felt like his hands were grasped around Sanji's trying to pry him away from the phone; a puppeteer tugging viciously at his strings as he tried to force him to obey.

 

“Seattle Police Department.” A smooth, calming woman intoned down the line, “What is your emergency?”

 

“I need you to arrest me.” Sanji rasped into the receiver desperately, it was beginning to feel like his throat was trying to collapse in on itself to keep him from forming words.

 

“Excuse me, sir?” The woman murmured calmly, “What is your situation?”

 

“I'm at Kuraigana Apartments; building E, floor 20, apartment 13.” Sanji strangled out, “I killed someone.”

 

“Calm down sir!” The woman informed him sternly, though it was clear from her tone that she was shocked by his admission, “Help is on its way; just stay on the lin--”

 

Dropping the phone in relief he collapsed back into the chair with a groan of pain as Zoro circled around him, eyes dark with a wrathful annoyance. Hands shot out to grip the arm rests of Sanji's chair as the man leaned in swiftly, critical eyes scanning Sanji's face as he tsked disapprovingly, “Bad boy.”

 

Zoro's eyes flashed as a grin began to replace his previously annoyed expression, hand reaching out to grip Sanji's jaw in an affectionate hold, “Though you like when I call you that, don't you?”

 

“Don't touch me.” Sanji hissed viciously, jerking his head to the side to yank his jaw out of the pinching grip of the other man before turning back to level Zoro with a dark look. Baring his teeth he growled lightly as words were beginning to fail him in his irrational anger; never had he thought he could be capable of murder, but he was beginning to see how he could find it in himself to do it again. “Touch me again and I'll kill you.”

 

“Ha!” Zoro barked the word as he stood casually once more, keeping his hands off of Sanji but by no means getting out of his personal space, “Now who's being the idiot?”

 

“You're just in my mind...” Sanji gritted out quietly, desperately trying to convince himself of his own words as he glared down the man that for so long had seemed like the most real thing in the world to him, “I can get rid of you whenever I want.”

 

“Oh?” Zoro quirked a brow in humoured interest, swiftly dropping to a crouch as he rested his elbows on the arms of the chair. Resting his chin on his clasped hands he peered up at Sanji while practically molding himself against Sanji's legs, eyes innocently watching Sanji even as the blond could sense the mockery beneath, “Then by all means; show me.”

 

Sanji remained silent as he glanced down at the man, so calm on the exterior and yet a maniacal beast raging beneath. Instead he just watched those dark eyes quietly as he tried to convince himself that it was just empty space he was gazing into instead of the man that he had fallen in love with.

 

“C'mon then.” Zoro prodded once more, a tinge of laughter breaking through his words, “Kill your imaginary friend. Make me disappear!”

 

Another few seconds passed as Sanji glared at Zoro, desperately trying to force himself to look through the man bearing down on him. Trying with all his might to see the wallpaper that sat on the walls behind the man's head. Zoro leaning down upon Sanji, eyes boring into the blond as a victorious smirk began spreading across his face when Sanji failed to make him actually vanish.

 

“You can't!” Zoro spat, a dark scowl forming on his previously soft face. Pushing himself away from Sanji, he once more loomed over the blond before narrowing his eyes angrily. Hands snapping out to tangle in Sanji's shirt as he hauled the blond forward abruptly, lifting him until his toes barely brushed the ground and Zoro was nose to nose with him, “Because I am you!”

 

“No!” Sanji strangled out petulantly as his hands snapped to Zoro's wrists as he tried to pry the grip open so he could get out of the choking hold. The iron grip wouldn't budge, even when Sanji dug his short nails into the tanned skin. Zoro remained impassive against Sanji's struggles as the grip only fastened tighter, like Sanji was being gripped by the hand of statue rather than a person. “You're not!”

 

“I've been a part of you since the very beginning!” Zoro roared, “I protected you, I fought for you, I am every bit a part of you as you are! I've carried the both of us!”

 

“Not anymore!” Sanji snarled back venomously, jerking disobediently in Zoro's grip as the seams of his shirt cut into his back and under his arms from where he was being hoisted. Sanji's words causing the man to still as he levelled Sanji with an icy glare, grip lowering minutely as his dark eyes flickered.

 

“Excuse me?” Zoro prompted calmly, voice entirely too smooth for the anger currently burning behind his composed exterior.

 

“Put me down.” Sanji murmured sternly, eyes fixing in on Zoro's as he could read the obvious shock washing through the other man. Hands relaxing their grip on Zoro's wrist as he began to realize that the balance of power swung both ways; that it always had even if Sanji had never noticed.

 

“What?” Zoro tried again, clearly attempting to get Sanji to reconsider his order.

 

“Put. Me. DOWN!”

 

Zoro's arms slowly followed the command, unfurling as he gently lowered Sanji back onto his own two feet before letting go of his shirt with clear reluctance. It was obvious that Zoro was just as furious about his body's lack of control as Sanji was over his.

 

“Don't move.” Sanji spat angrily and once more Zoro's eyes read the anger that was raging within him at the fact that his body was not following his commands. And as Sanji sent a quick glance around the room for an idea on how to restrain the both of them until the cops arrived, his gaze fell to the window as a confusing thought hit him.

 

It was still dark outside.

 

Sanj had left for the airport in the distant hours of morning, Zoro had brought him back, and Sanji had been unconscious for god only knew how long. The timeline didn't make any sense; the sun should have rose hours ago... And suddenly it was all so painfully clear, as the words that Zoro had spoken earlier made everything fall into place.

 

_It was all in your head..._

 

Every time he and Zoro had been together had been a fictional visage in his mind; each conversation, every copulation, any moment alone. They were all a facade of imagery and emotion Zoro had woven in his mind to keep him occupied while he took over Sanji's body to use it as he saw fit. Whether it was to live an ordinary life, or to kidnap children and commit murder; the closer Zoro had gotten to Sanji, the easier it had been to suppress him. Which meant that even now as they stood opposite each other in this room; it was just another one of Zoro's tricks designed to distract him.

 

Who knew what his body could be doing at this very moment?

 

Without even a second thought Sanji realized he needed to stop himself, and if this was all a dream then there was one very simple solution to get out of it. Stooping down he numbly picked up the gun that had been discarded on the floor, the piece of metal feeling startling heavy in his clammy grip as he slowly straightened. Righting the weapon in his grip until it lay comfortably in his palm, he curled his finger around the trigger once more as he began forcing himself to focus around the sensations that accosted him and instead on what was beyond them.

 

“What are you doing?!” Zoro demanded viciously, taking an unconscious step forward and glaring down at Sanji obstinately. Looking up from the pistol that was beginning to feel weightless in his nervous grasp, for the first time ever Sanji could actually discern panic and fear in that usually scathing gaze.

 

A small smile flitted across the blond's lips as he raised the gun slowly to his own head this time, pressing the barrel against his temple as he could feel the cool metal kiss his skin gently. Letting his eyes fall shut, he finally placed his trust in the only hands he could truly rely on; himself. “Waking up.”

 

Sanji's finger retracted on the trigger – praying that he knew what he was doing – as once more a sharp bang rung out through the small room. The crack had barely echoed in his ears before everything fell away rapidly and Sanji was bolting upright in bed with a sharp gasp and a jagged cry.

 

Several moments of panicked breathing passed as Sanji convinced himself he was still alive and that he had not actually killed himself; glancing around Zoro's bedroom as he confirmed that his plan had actually worked. Gaze falling on the window as he could see the faint vestiges of the sun rising over the city in the distance leaving the past several hours feeling like a vivid dream.

 

Looking down, he found himself dressed in the clothes he had donned before trying to sneak out several hour previously, turning his palms slowly upward to note the torn flesh from when he had falling getting out of the cab. A final glance across the room at the backpack that was discarded near the wall – which must have been taken off by Zoro when he had brought their body back into the apartment before laying down – that was a testament to everything that had just happened.

 

Sanji had to know for sure.

 

Slowly pushing himself out of bed he placed his sneakers on the floor before shakily getting to his feet and making his way around the bed. Hollow step after dreadfully hollow step he meandered out of the bedroom and into the main area of the apartment as he continued to look around himself in a mystifying concoction of confusion and awe. There was a silence that hung over the apartment that was eerily unfamiliar; where once there had always been two presences in the flat, there was now just his own.

 

Still weary of everything around him as he wasn't sure exactly what was real or not anymore; needing anything to prove to himself he still wasn't imagining everything. Passing through the kitchen he ran a hand slowly across the island counter, fingers trailing along the cool marble as he remembered countless mornings spent enjoying breakfast across from each other. Memories now that had a blurred lens cast over them in the wake of his realization that those had all been figments of his imagination put there by Zoro.

 

Pausing as he noted the picture on the fridge with a small frown, reaching up and snagging the corner he pulled it free from the magnet as he stared at it with confused clarity. The smile, the gown, and the graduation cap was all the same, but the man in the photo was not. Where there had once been a smiling green-haired man in the photo; Sanji now only saw himself.

 

Allowing it to fall from his hand carelessly, he became aware of pressure in both of his back pockets as he reached back and pulled a wallet from the right pocket free. Flipping it open to find his information; driver's license, debit and credit cards, social insurance number, and myriad of other things he had remember having on him the past several years.

 

Reaching back with his left hand to snag the item in his left back pocket, he found with chilling absurdity; Zoro's wallet. The exact same wallet he had remember finding in his pocket after their night at the bar; opening it he found everything in the other man's name, except for the fact that every piece of photo I.D. had his picture in place of Zoro's. The green-haired man's stoic gaze written across his face in an expression that Sanji had never been privy to seeing on himself before.

 

Hands lowering he gazed ahead of himself numbly as the stark reality of everything Zoro had told him earlier began to sink in. The hysteria from before replaced with a cold, dawning acceptance as he let both the wallets fall from his hands as he numbly padded his jeans to find his phone.

 

Pulling his phone from his pocket he flicked through his messages and noted hollowly the absence of one very important person's number. All the texts and pictures that had been shared between them the past few months were gone; or had never existed in the first place.

 

Had it really all been a figment of his imagination?

 

Memories of heinous acts and malevolent crimes that were seared into his mind told him definitively that while he may not of been conscious; it was by no means false. The evidence was irrefutable; and by extension, so was his guilt. Choking down the disgust that threatened to rise at the notion of what he had done, he steeled himself in face of the reality of what he had to do. Sanji had hardened his resolve before – and while it seemed that phone call had all been in his head – it was time he would properly turned himself in. For the blackmail, the money, the murders...

 

For everything.

 

Staving off the horrendous memories that were now his burden to bear, he flipped through his phone to find the keypad as he typed in the number for the police for a second time; only this time he could discern the reality of it. Placing the phone to his ear, he listened to the shrill chimes as he shuffled his way through the living room and towards the balcony, pulling open the sliding glass door and stepping outside. Bare feet enjoying the cool sensation of the flooring as he leaned against the railing just as his call was answered.

 

“Seattle Police Department,” crooned a smooth and calm individual, “How may I direct your call?”

 

“I'd like to confess to a crime...” Sanji murmured softly into the speaker, voice barely audible as he continued to keep his gaze pinned to the glorious sunrise glittering on the horizon. Rays reflecting off of each piece of metal and glass creating a hypnotic display of glittering lights that was nearly blinding. The faintest of smiles touched the blond's lips as he memorized the breathtaking sight that would probably be the last one he would ever see.

 

“What have you done, sir?”

 

Oh...

 

Where to begin?

 

~The End~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N (Edit): Meant to add when I posted the chapter a few things;
> 
> The inspiration behind this fic from the beginning was 'Mr. Brooks' and if you get a chance to ever watch it I would highly recommend it. It's about a man with a spilt personality that convinces him to be a serial killer; I thought it'd be fun to write about someone whose spilt personality was responsible without them knowing. So I'd like to credit to the movie for inspiring me.
> 
> Secondly, the ending was an homage to Fight Club (I had a different ending planned but changed it; clearly that was the wrong choice since many of you did not like it. I am sorry.)
> 
> Thirdly, if you read the note i posted to FFN or my tumblr then you know I'm currently struggling with some confidence issues in my writing so I apologize if this was not the ending you envisioned. I currently feel like I ran a 3yr marathon and tripped at the finish line. I'm marking this as complete, but one day I hope there will be an epilogue. For now however; thank you for reading ^.^


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